


Arranged and Rearranged

by Mim0901



Category: Original Work
Genre: Canon Gay Relationship, M/M, Princes & Princesses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-16 23:54:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 25,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29340918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mim0901/pseuds/Mim0901
Summary: Caleb Harrison, Prince of Summervale, never really expected to find love, but he definitely didn't expect to find it like this. Follow his story as he makes the worst decision of his life.
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

"It's twins!" the doctor cheered. "A girl and a boy." The doctor gave the two babies to the Queen.

"Twins, Darling. Isn't it wonderful?" the Queen asked her husband.

The King laughed. "Now I'm glad that we thought of two different names."

The Queen gazed at her babies. "Brietta and Caleb," she whispered.

"Those are lovely names, Your Majesty, but can I see Brietta for a moment?" the doctor asked.

Queen Erica reluctantly gave her daughter away. King Victor took hold of Erica's hand. The Queen looked up at her husband.

"I'm sure everything is fine," Victor mumbled.

Erica nodded, but she was still worried. Minutes later, the doctor returned will Brietta in his arms. He gave the baby back to the Queen. The doctor didn't look very happy.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but Brietta most likely won't live through the night. It seems that your son somehow was taking all of her nutrients. She's too weak."

Erica felt her heart break. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked down at her daughter. She now noticed that Brietta was significantly smaller than Caleb. The baby girl's breathing was shallow, and her eyes still weren't open. Victor rested his hand on Erica's shoulder. They watched the little girl until her breathing completely stopped.

"Be strong, my love," Victor murmured in Erica's ear.

Erica hugged Brietta then took a deep breath and forced her grief away. She would mourn her daughter later, alone. She kissed Brietta's forehead before a nurse took the child away. The nurse left the room. Erica forced herself to look away.

The King and Queen were left with Caleb, their son. They would make sure that he knew about his weaker sister, the twin that he never got to meet.


	2. Chapter 2

I fell, landing on my back. I felt a foot on my chest. I opened my eyes and saw a shiny silver sword pointed at me, inches away from my face. I should really talk to Father about giving the sword polisher a raise. 

"That's two points for me," the owner of the foot announced. He removed his foot from my chest and helped me up.

"Great job, Gabe, but I still have eight points," I laughed as I dusted myself off.

Gabriel's smile fell away, but he still had happiness in his eyes. "Well, the thing that matters is that I'm getting better."

I smiled at him as he gave my sword back. "I can't believe you managed to steal this from me."

"You're losing your skills," Gabriel chuckled.

"I highly doubt that." I put my sword in its sheath.

"Prince Caleb!" I heard from behind me. I turned and saw my governess, Marie. She bowed as she got closer.

"My apologies for interrupting, but the Queen wants to speak with you in the throne room," she informed me.

I said goodbye to Gabriel and followed Marie into the castle. We got to the throne room doors, and she left me there. I opened the doors and walked inside. My parents were sitting on their thrones.

"There you are, Caleb," Mother said as she stood to greet me.

"We have great news," Father said.

 _I doubt it's actually great_ , I thought. 

"Since your fifteenth birthday is tomorrow," Mother began.

 _Oh no_ , I thought as I realized what that little meeting was about.

"We found a young princess for you to marry," Mother finished.

"Her name is Annika. She's the Princess of Highgulf," Father told me.

"Why? Why do I have to marry? I can't just rule the Kingdom on my own?" I asked.

"It's a tradition, Caleb. I refuse to be the king that breaks tradition," Father said.

 _Don't argue. It'll only cause trouble._ "Yes, Father. I respect your wishes." My parents dismissed me, and I left the throne room. As soon as I was alone, I ran. I ran as fast as I could upstairs to my room. I changed into one of the only sets of commoner's clothes that I owned and left the castle.

I made my way to the city. Walks around the city, being able to see how the citizens live, always calmed me down. I stuck my hands in my pockets. My right hand felt something cold and hard. I grabbed it and pulled it out.

It was the locket that I bought the last time I went into the city. _I thought I took that out._ I opened it. Inside was a picture of my family that I had put in it.

My parents were standing beside their thrones. I stood between them, and my younger sister Katie stood in front of me. Kieth and Levi, my two brothers, stood on either side of Katie. None of us were smiling.

I put the locket around my neck as I entered the city. I automatically felt eyes on me. I kept my head down as I walked to the marketplace. I went over to the nearest seller and looked at what they had to offer.

I had stopped at a stand that was selling jewelry. I thought about getting something for Katie. I looked at the necklaces. As I picked one up, I felt someone tap my shoulder.

I turned around, but I saw no one there. I felt a slight tickle on the back of my neck. I turned again and still saw no one. I scratched my neck and felt something missing. My locket was gone.

I felt my neck and chest, hoping it was there. I checked my pockets and looked around on the ground. Still, nothing.

"Looking for this?" a voice asked. I turned and saw a tall boy with brown hair. He opened his hand and I saw my locket.

"Oh, thank you. I thought I lost it," I said as I reached for it.

The boy snatched his hand away. "I'll give it to you... for a price," he said. 

"But that's mine! Wait... you didn't find that, you stole it from me. You're a thief!" I realized.

"Hey, I'm not a thief. I'm just really good at getting things that aren't mine."

"Give that back, right now!" I tried to grab his arm, but he backed away too quickly. He began to run. _Crap!_ I chased after him.

I dodged people, trying to catch up with the thief, but he was a lot faster than I was. He turned a corner. _I can't lose him!_ I ran faster and turned where he had. It was a dead end. The thief was nowhere to be seen.

"Up here!"

I looked up and saw the thief crouched on a roof. "How did you get up there?" I asked.

The thief looked offended. "How dare you assume I'd reveal my tricks to _you_!" he scoffed. He opened my locket, and his eyes got slightly wider.

_He knows who I am now. He knows what kind of power I have._

"You're the Prince of Summervale? But you're, like, twelve!" the thief said, looking me up and down as if he couldn't believe I was actually there.

"Excuse you! First of all, I'm about to be fifteen. Second, I could have you executed for disrespecting and stealing from royalty," I informed him.

The thief laughed. "I don't think you'd do it. You seem way too soft," he said.

Before I could say anything, he jumped off of the roof. He stumbled as he landed and clutched his side. He stood up straight and removed his hand. I saw something red sneaking its way down his fingers.

"Is that blood?" I asked, stepping cautiously toward him.

"Um, no?"

"That's not a question that you're supposed to answer with another question."

He gently touched his side again and looked at his hand. "I guess that is blood."

"Take your shirt off," I told him as I ripped the sleeve of my shirt off at the shoulder.

"W-what?" he stuttered. He started backing away, but he fell over. He winced in pain. I saw more blood soak into his shirt.

"I'm trying to help you. You need to take your shirt off so I can see your wound." I grabbed the hem of his shirt and lifted it over his head. 

"Hey, you can't just do that!" the thief cried.

"Do you want to bleed out?"

That silenced him. He allowed me to wrap my ripped sleeve around his stomach. I tied it and backed away. "We still need to get you to a hospital," I told him.

"No," he said, putting a hand up. "I'll be okay. It's not deep."

I didn't insist. "What happened to you?" 

"I got attacked on the way into the city," he responded as he held out my locket. I took it. I noticed small spots of blood on the chain. _I'll have to get Marie to clean it when I get back to the castle._ I put it around my neck. I took the thief's hand and pulled him up. 

"Why did you help me?" he asked.

"I'm going to be the king soon. I want the citizens of my kingdom to trust me."

"Oh," the thief chuckled, "I'm not a citizen of your kingdom." He ran off.

 _What?_ I didn't bother chasing him. It was time for me to go back to the castle.


	3. Chapter 3

"Can I please burn this place to the ground?" I asked.

"Seeing as it's a castle made of stone, I don't think a fire would do much damage, Your Highness," Marie said respectfully.

"But trying would make me feel better." I rolled over on my bed and sat up. Marie was busy cleaning my already spotless room. "Knock it off. You're not a maid."

She dropped a sock. "I'm just trying to help. And I think I've cleaned your room more than any of the maids." 

"Perhaps, but I can clean my room on my own. The maids are really just for dusting and making sure I haven't broken any of my parents' stuff," I told her. 

Marie sighed and sat next to me. If she was any other member of the castle staff, I'd scold her, but Marie and I have been close ever since I was able to talk. I've always told her secrets that I've never told my parents or siblings.

"It's just marriage, Your Highness, not the end of the world," Marie said.

"Since when did we get we get back on that subject?"

"You'll have to get married eventually."

"I'm not upset about the marriage," I said, "I'm upset about the fact that I don't know her."

"That's how being a prince works. I'm sure the Princess isn't happy that she's getting no say in the man that she's marrying," Marie said.

I gave up. "I guess you're right. I'm going to get some rest."

"Alright, Your Highness. Goodnight. Oh, don't forget, Princess Annika and her family are coming here for your birthday celebration tomorrow," Marie said. 

_Oh, wonderful! Now I have to spend time with people that I don't know!_ "And on my birthday, of all days," I muttered. I changed into my nightclothes and crawled into my bed. My locket swung around my neck. "Oh, Marie! Can you clean this?" He took the locket off and handed it to Marie.

"Of course, Your Highness," Marie said. She left the room.

The next morning, I awoke to someone calling my name.

"Prince Caleb, your siblings are here to give you presents," Marie told me while opening my curtains.

I rubbed my eyes and sat up. "Let them in," I mumbled. I heard my bedroom door open.

"Happy birthday!" my siblings shouted as they walked into my room.

"Thanks, guys." They handed me boxes wrapped in brown paper. I took both of them and opened the one from Katie. 

She silently watched as I removed the paper and took the lid off of the box. Inside was an 8x10, framed painting of the kingdom. I looked up in awe at Katie. "Thank you. It's beautiful."

Katie smiled and backed up to watch me open the twins' present. I opened their small box. There was a cookie inside.

"Did you two make this?" I asked them. 

"Yeah! Evan helped us," Kieth said. If the chef helped then it should be good. I took a bite. It wasn't the best cookie I'd ever had, but it wasn't terrible. I ate the rest of it and thanked them. 

They left my room, and I was alone with Marie. As soon as the door was closed, Marie came over to me and set a box and a brown paper bag on my bed. 

"This one," she said as she pointed at the box, "is from the King and Queen. The other one is from me." 

I smiled and focused on the bag. "Which should I open first?" I asked her.

"Whichever one you wish, Your Highness."

I grabbed the box. _Marie probably got me a better gift than my parents._ I took the lid off and took the gift out. It was a pale brown long-sleeved shirt, a commoner's shirt. Marie must have told them that my shirt got messed up yesterday. _That's a better gift than I expected._

I set it to the side. "Tell Mother and Father that I liked it," I told Marie as I picked up her bag. I took the gift out and looked at it. 

It was a small plush horse. Black and white, just like Brietta, my real horse. I thanked Marie. It was a thoughtful gift.

Marie reached into her pocket and handed me my locket. "All clean," she said.

I smiled and took it from her. The locket was so shiny. "Thank you." Marie left my room, and I was alone. I took the chance to bathe and get dressed. 

I left my room and went into the Great Hall. The whole family was there. I could tell that they were all anxious for Princess Annika's family to get here. Kieth and Levi were chasing each other around the tables. Mother would probably send them outside to burn off steam after breakfast. I'd probably join them, just to get out of the castle. 

I sat down next to Katie. The servers brought me bacon, eggs, and a biscuit along with some apple juice. I hurried and ate my breakfast then stood and got closer to Mother. "Do you want me to take the twins outside?" I asked her. Kieth and Levi were still running around, not paying attention to what, or who, they were running into.

"Please, that'd be great. You could take them horseback riding," Mother suggested.

"Are you sure they should ride without a trainer? They're eight." I didn't ride alone until I was twelve. 

"They'll have you. I'm sure they'll be fine," Mother insisted.

I nodded and rounded up my brothers. We headed outside to the stables. Kieth and Levi kept running ahead of me, and I had to call them back. When we reached the stables, I helped the twins get a saddle on their horses.

Kieth's horse, a brown Clydesdale named Lance, tried to bite me when I petted his neck. Levi's brown and white Gypsy, Blazer, was the most well-tempered horse in the stables. Honestly, my Brietta was the hardest to handle.

We saddled up and left the stables. I stayed behind the twins to make sure nothing happened to them or their horses. We rode on the trails behind the castle. 

"Why are we out here?" Kieth asked me as we headed back to the stables.

"You two needed to burn off steam," I explained.

I heard Levi sigh."What's wrong?" I asked him as I steered Brietta closer.

He looked at me. "Why does Mother always send us outside? Why can't she just... play with us?" he asked.

"Um, well, she's a queen. She has more..." _I can't say important, that'd be rude,_ " _pressing_ responsibilities than taking care of you." _That still sounded rude._

Levi shrugged. "I guess," he mumbled.

I let the conversation die. I really needed to work on comforting people. We reached the stables and put the horses away. As we walked back up to the castle I saw a carriage in the distance. _That must be Annika's family._ I hurried to twins inside and went up to my room. 

Marie had put some nicer clothes on my bed while I was away. I quickly changed into them and went back downstairs to the throne room. 

Mother and Father were seated in their thrones. I sat to the left of them. The twins sat to the right, and Katie sat next to me. Moments after I sat down, the throne room's doors opened and the herald entered.

"Your Majesties, may I present His Majesty, King Adam Narris, Her Majesty, Veronica Narris, and their children: Prince Mathew and Princess Annika, the Royal Family of Highgulf," he announced as the family came into the room.

I focused my attention on Annika. She was pretty but not my type. I felt no attraction to her, and I was going to have to marry her. 

The herald introduced my family, and I noticed that Annika looked at me when my name was called. She smiled slightly, and I smiled back out of politeness. _Don't expect anything to happen between us,_ I told her silently. 

I looked at the Prince. He wasn't looking up. He obviously didn't want to be here. He kept staring at the ground. He had the same hair color as Annika, a sort of chestnut color. Could they be twins?

Mother began speaking, and that made the Prince, Mathew, look up. I saw his face and froze. _That's the thief from yesterday!_

He caught my eye, and his lips formed a smirk. I'm sure he was amused by the face I was making. The thief's a prince! I didn't expect that. _Why did he try to steal from me? He has his own money, he could've bought a locket if he really wanted one. Why did he get attacked, and why-_

"Caleb?" Mother's voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"Sorry! What?" I asked. Everyone was standing.

"We're going to the Great Hall for lunch," Father explained.

I stood and followed. I noticed that Mathew was trying not to laugh. I pointed at him and beckoned him over to me. His smile fell, and he walked over. 

"Is that any way to treat a prince?" he asked as we started walking to the Great Hall.

"You can't say anything. You stole from me yesterday," I reminded him.

"That technically wasn't stealing. I gave your locket back," Mathew argued.

I rolled my eyes. "Why'd you take it anyway?"

"I like the adrenaline rush. I always drop whatever I take, so I've never actually stolen anything."

I stared at him. "I don't think that makes it any better."

He shrugged and sped up to catch up with Annika. I kept my eye on him all through lunch, and he noticed. He'd make a face at me when no one else was looking. _Is he a prince or an animal?_

I tried to focus on my food, but Mathew kept kicking me under the table. Lunch was almost over by the time I decided that I'd had enough. I stood up and said, "Excuse me, but I'm tired after horseback riding. I'm going to my room." I left the table and went upstairs. I went into my bedroom and shut the door. I took a deep breath and fell face-first onto my bed.

"He's so annoying," I grumbled. I rolled over and stared at the ceiling. I thought about going to the city, or even the nearby forest, so I could walk around and clear my head, but Mother would never let me while we had visitors. I took another deep breath. I needed to calm down. 

There was a knock at my door. "Come in!" I called. It was probably just Marie coming to check on me.

It wasn't Marie.


	4. Chapter 4

I sat up and stared at him. "Why are you in here? Who told you where my room is?" 

Mathew shrugged. "A lady saw me walking around and asked if I was looking for anything specific."

"And you said you were looking for my room?"

He nodded.

"Why?" I asked. 

"I... thought I should apologize. I've been a jerk to you since the moment I met you," Mathew sighed. He shut the door and sat down on my bed. 

"Why have you been a jerk? I haven't done anything to you," I said.

"I'm very protective of my sister. I guess I'm mad that she's going to be married off to a stranger," Mathew mumbled.

"Why are you protective?"

Mathew looked at his feet. "She's not my only sister. I had another younger sister, one that was only a year younger than me. When we were little, I had the bright idea to walk around our city without our guards."

I could guess where this story was going.

"We were attacked, and she was killed. I survived, obviously, but I almost died. Sometimes I wish I had. It's my fault that she's dead," Mathew finished.

I placed my hand on his shoulder. "I had a sister that died too. She was my twin, and she passed away from birth complications," I told him. _We're not that different._

"That sucks. Did she get a name?" 

"Brietta," I said.

"... That's a nice name. I'm sure she would've been a wonderful princess," Mathew said as he looked up at me.

I chuckled and took my hand away. "I named my horse after her."

"Seriously? Imagine reuniting with her and telling her that a horse has her name," Mathew laughed. I laughed with him.

"You know, I thought you'd either be full of yourself or incredibly stupid, but you're not. You're actually pretty cool," Mathew said. "I wouldn't mind having you as a brother-in-law."

I stared at him. _How do I tell him this?_ "Um, actually, I don't..."

"What?"

"I don't want to marry Annika," I confessed.

Mathew was silent. For a second, I thought he was going to hit me, but all he said was, "Why?"

"I just... I just don't like the fact that I'm being forced to marry someone that I don't know," I explained.

Mathew considered that. I thought I saw a flash of realization pass through his face. "Yeah, I guess that'd be a little weird, but it's tradition for your kingdom, right?"

"Ugh, you sound like my parents," I complained as I lay back on my bed.

"You know what? Let's not talk about this," Mathew said as he stood up. "You guys have horses, right?"


	5. Chapter 5

I led Mathew to the stables. Apparently, he loves horses. His parents are allergic to pet dander, so they've never had any pets.

"Why do you like horses?" I asked him.

"They're so beautiful and elegant, but they can kill a man with one kick. I think that's pretty cool," Mathew replied.

We reached the stables, and I took him inside. I heard him gasp. _Does he really like horses that much?_

He walked up to Brietta. "Hi, you're beautiful," he whispered to her.

"She's mine," I told him.

"Brietta," he said. Brietta lifted her head and shook out her mane.

"She's very fierce, so I'd watch out if I were you," I warned him.

"She's an Appaloosa, right?" Mathew asked as he stretched out his hand to stroke Brietta's neck.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" I replied.

"I study horses as a pastime."

I was honestly surprised by that. Mathew didn't seem like the type of person that would casually study horses. I guess it comes with not being able to have pets.

"I know from her coat, and you said she has a fierce side. Appaloosas are war horses. They're actually one of my favorite breeds," Mathew said as he moved on to Katie's horse. "Shire horses are beautiful. Who owns her?"

"My sister, Katie. She named her Marigold, for her eye color." Marigold was black, but she had beautiful light brown eyes. They almost looked golden.

"I see," he said. He patted Marigold's neck, and the horse whinnied at him. He moved on.

Next up was Mother's horse, an American Paint named Blue. Mathew didn't spend much time with him, but he did stay long enough to admire his crystal blue eyes. Next was Levi's horse, then Kieth's, and last was Father's Thoroughbred, Harold. Father named his horse after his father. My family has a knack for naming things after dead relatives.

"All of your horses are beautiful," Mathew said as we headed out of the stables. 

"Which one was your favorite?" I asked him.

"Based on looks, definitely Brietta, but Lance was so sweet. It's probably a tie," Mathew replied.

"Aw, come on! Brietta's so much better than Lance."

We went back into the castle and up to my room. We took a seat on my bed. We sat there in silence for a few minutes before I asked, "So are you still going to be a jerk to me?"

"In public, definitely. I can't have anyone thinking we're friends. But I can be civil when we're with our family or by ourselves," Mathew answered.

 _I guess that's better than nothing,_ I thought. I nodded to show him that I was okay with that arrangement.

"Today's your birthday, right?" Mathew asked.

I nodded. He was quiet for a moment. I noticed that he was messing with something in his pocket. "I have a gift for you," he finally said.

I was a little shocked that he'd get something for me. I thought it would be a joke gift, but he'd just said that he wouldn't be a jerk when we were alone.

He took his hand out of his pocket. There was a little bracelet in his hand. "I didn't take the time to wrap it or anything." He gave me the bracelet. I looked at it. 

It was dark leather, which was normally preferred by royal families. There was a small golden charm that had "Remember me" engraved into it. On the other side was a feather.

"It's interesting," I said, not sure why he would get that for me.

"It's mine," Mathew admitted. "My mother gave it to me after my sister died. When I found out that you were the prince, I knew what happened to your twin..." _This sounds like a fake story... but it's a very nice story._ "I thought you might-"

I cut him off by hugging him. _I don't care if he's lying. It's a great gift, and I'm grateful for it._ I felt his arms wrap around me. "Thank you," I whispered.

Mathew chuckled. "No thanks needed," he said.

I let go of him. I slipped the bracelet on and admired it. "Thank you," I said again.

Mathew patted me on my shoulder. "It was nothing," he mumbled.

"You didn't have to get me anything," I told him while playing with the charm.

"It was a way to slightly repay you for kind of saving my life."

I suddenly remembered his wound. "How is it, your wound?"

"My nurse stitched me up." He lifted his shirt a little, and I saw black thread holding two sides of his skin together.

"How many?"

"Twelve. It hurt too," he said as he dropped his shirt.

"That sucks," I muttered.

Mathew chuckled a little. He said nothing else because we heard a knock at my door. "Come in!" I called.

Marie walked in. "I'm glad to see that you found Prince Caleb's room, Prince Mathew."

_So she's the one that helped him find me._

"Your Highness, the Queen has asked me to inform you that the royal family of Highgulf will be staying with us for a few days. And tomorrow, you will be addressing the Kingdom about your bride-to-be," Marie told me.

 _Oh, wonderful!_ "Thank you, Marie," I said. She left us alone.

"What are you going to do? Considering you don't like my sister, I'm sure you don't want to talk to your kingdom about marrying her," Mathew said.

I looked him in the eyes. "I have a plan."


	6. Chapter 6

Marie returned a few hours later to get us for dinner. We celebrated my birthday, and Mathew's family gave me gifts.

I got a leather dagger sheath from Annika, along with a very nice dagger, and some money from the King and Queen. As if I didn't have enough money already.

After we ate, Marie and my siblings' governesses showed Mathew and his family to their rooms. I went up to mine and changed into my nightclothes. I sat on the small couch in my room for a while, looking at my new dagger.

It was honestly pretty nice. It had a lion carved into it. It was an elaborate design. I set it down and climbed into my bed. About two hours later, I was woken up by a knock at my door. I slowly got up and opened the door. I was greeted by Mathew.

"I couldn't sleep. Probably cause I'm in a new place. I thought, maybe... um..." He stopped.

"You want to sleep in here?" I asked

"... Yeah."

"Come on in," I mumbled. I opened the door wider so that Mathew could come into my room. I went and grabbed a blanket from a storage closet down the hall and gave it to my roommate-for-the-night.

"You can sleep on the couch," I said as I handed him a pillow from my bed.

"Thanks," Mathew said slowly.

I climbed back into bed and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up and saw Mathew staring at me. I sat up and stared back at him. "What are you doing?" I asked him.

"Waiting for you to wake up," he said.

"That's not totally creepy," I said sarcastically as I got out of bed.

"Well, I don't know my way around your castle!" Mathew pointed out.

He was right. "Let me get dressed, and we can go down to breakfast."

"Good, I'm starving," Mathew grumbled as I got some clothes.

I got dressed and led Mathew to the Great Hall. We sat with our families and ate. After breakfast, Mother told me that I needed to start preparing for my speech for the afternoon address to the kingdom.

I already had my speech planned, and no one would be prepared for what I was going to say. But I listened to my mother and went to the study to write it down.

I stayed there for the majority of the morning. I had just finished when Katie came in to get me for lunch. I followed her to the Great Hall and sat down.

"Did you finish your speech, Caleb?" Father asked.

"Yeah. I'm excited to talk to the Kingdom," I said.

"I can't wait to hear what you'll say about Annika, Prince Caleb," Queen Veronica put in.

 _It's nothing like what you're expecting,_ I told her in my head.

After lunch, we all headed to our rooms to change into nicer clothes. I changed and rejoined my family. 

"Where's everyone else?" I asked Father.

"The Narris family joined the city. They'll be to your right when you look into the crowd," he answered.

"It's time!" someone called through the doors.

Father nodded and left to start the address. I could hear his voice booming through the air.

I gripped the paper in my hand. My speech. I looked down at it. It definitely wasn't as long as people were expecting, but I've never been good at lengthy speeches. I was pulled out of my thoughts by my father saying my name. I took a breath and walked out.

It looked like the whole city showed up. People cheered for me. Father stepped back so I could be the center of attention, but he didn't leave.

"My kingdom, I'm here today to introduce you to some special people," I began. I swept my arm over to where Annika and her family were sitting. "The Royal Family of Highgulf are with us. Princess Annika Narris is my fiancee. She's very polite and beautiful. She'd make a wonderful queen..." I paused as the citizens clapped for Annika. I looked over at her. She was smiling, like always. _Should I actually do this?_

"But," I said. _Just say it!_ "She will not be your next queen."

I heard several gasps from the crowd. I felt Father's eyes on my back.

"I can't force myself to marry someone that I barely know, someone that I don't love." I looked at Annika again.

She looked hurt, but I think I could see a shimmer of relief. _Please let this be the right choice._

King Adam stood and pointed at me. "This is an act of war!" he cried.


	7. Chapter 7

_This was not the right choice..._

"What were you _thinking_?" Father yelled at me.

"He obviously wasn't, Victor," my mother hissed.

We were sitting in the throne room. Mother had sent my siblings to their rooms and demanded to talk to me. I knew I was in big trouble.

Father's face was flushed white with anger. Mother couldn't look at me, and I couldn't blame her. I made a stupid decision, and I'd regret it.

"Father, I'm sorry, but I did what I thought was ri-"

"You started a _war,_ Caleb! Do you think that's right?" Father argued. "Now I have to fight to fix your mistake!" 

"Wait, what? You have to fight?" I asked.

"You've sent your father to his death!" Mother cried.

I backed away. _I can't believe how stupid I am!_ I turned and found my way to the stairs. I ran up them and burst into my room. A maid was inside, dusting off my shelves.

"Get out," I told her. She bowed quickly and hurried away, shutting the door behind her.

As soon as she was gone, I collapsed on my couch and cried. _What have I done?_ After a few minutes, I managed to pull myself together. I noticed that the couch still had a pillow on it from when Mathew slept there last night.

Mathew and his family left our kingdom after my announcement, but they were sure to give my father a few choice words. It wasn't pretty.

Honestly, Mathew and I were kind of becoming friends, and I ruined that. I missed him.

After I calmed down, I stood and looked out of my window. I looked out over the horizon. It was very calming. I heard a noise from outside the castle. I looked down and saw Gabriel standing below my window. He made a beckoning motion. I held up my finger to tell him to wait.

I left my room and went downstairs and outside. Gabe was still standing below my window. I walked up to him. He hugged me. _God, I needed this!_ I hugged him back.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"I started a war, Gabe. How do you think I'm doing?"

"Heh, not good," Gabriel guessed. I just sighed. He patted my shoulder. "Sorry, I was just trying to lighten the mood," he said.

"Didn't work," I grumbled.

"Yeah, I see that."

"What are you here for?" I asked him.

"Thought you might want some company, someone to cheer you up," Gabriel responded.

I smiled a little. "Thanks, man." Gabe really was a good friend. It was nice to have someone you could rely on.

"How are your parents reacting?" Gabe asked.

"Not well. They're furious, but I can't blame them. I made a stupid choice."

"Why did you choose not to marry her?"

"I can't force myself to marry someone that I don't love," I answered.

"Couldn't you learn to love her?"

"I know I can't. It's impossible."

Gabriel tilted his head and lifted one eyebrow. I knew that face well.

"I don't know why," _I do know why._ "I just know that I never will love her."

"That's understandable, I guess, but she's really pretty. I'll marry her if you don't want to," Gabe joked.

"You know she has to marry royalty," I laughed.

Gabe smiled. "There's the Caleb I know."

"I should probably get back inside. It's almost time for lunch. This won't be fun," I muttered.

"Good luck."

I waved goodbye to Gabe and went back into the castle. I went up to my room and saw that Marie had laid out casual clothes for me. I changed and sat on my couch. 

I tried not to think about how big of a mistake I made. I tried not to think about how the citizens probably hate me, how Annika's family definitely hate me, how _my_ family probably hate me. I tried not to think about how my father would have to risk his life because of my mistake.

I stood and grabbed the stuffed Brietta that Marie gave me yesterday. I hugged it to my chest. I was pretty sure that fifteen-year-olds shouldn't hug stuffed animals, but I had a good reason.

I put the stuffed horse down on my bed and headed downstairs to the Great Hall for lunch. No one talked to me, even when I tried to start a conversation. Even Keith and Levi ignored me. I wasn't sure if that was because they were mad at me or because everyone else was doing it.

As soon as I was finished eating, I excused myself and went outside. I told myself that everything would get better with time, but I didn't believe it. I sat against the castle wall and pulled grass up from the ground. I stayed there until it was time for one of my many lessons. I had been excused from lessons for the past couple of days because of my birthday and our visitors, and I honestly missed them.

 _What's today? Friday! Battle training!_ Battle training had always been my favorite. It was the only lesson where I could show off my true skills. I went inside to the training room. Andrew, my trainer, was already there.

"Your Highness," he greeted me.

"Hey, Andrew. I've been looking forward to seeing you again," I told him as I grabbed a training sword from the wall.

Andrew grabbed one too. "I'm sure you have. You might be able to put your skills to the test soon, considering we're part of a war now."

I frowned. I thought I'd be able to get away from all of that here. I shrugged it off and got into my fighting stance. Andrew copied me. We practiced for a couple of hours.

By the time we were done, we were both sweaty and exhausted. I quickly bathed and changed into clean clothes before going outside to the stables.

The horse handler was there. She was putting hay into Lance's trough. She noticed me as I walked in.

"Hello, Your Highness," she said.

"Delta," I greeted her.

"I think I have good news," Delta announced as she walked over to me. I tilted my head. "Brietta might be pregnant."

"Really?" I exclaimed. "Which stallion is the father?"

Delta walked over to Father's horse. "It could be Harold. I've seen them together a lot lately."

"Well, get the vet in here to check her. I can't believe I've been riding her and she could be pregnant!"

"Oh, it's fine to ride her for several months. When she gets closer to giving birth, you'll have to stop," Delta explained. She left the stables and returned minutes later with Braxton.

The vet began to check Brietta. I decided to give him space. "I'm going inside. Let me know the results."

Delta bowed, and I left. I returned to my room and sat down on my bed. I checked the time. It wasn't even close to dinner time. _What am I supposed to do until then?_ I heard a tap at my window.

"That better not be Gabe again," I mumbled to myself. I went over to the window and saw a pigeon sitting on the sill. The bird had a tiny bag strapped to it.

I opened the window and grabbed the bird. I opened its bag and took out a piece of folded paper. I unfolded it and read the message out loud.

"'Caleb, I know you might be busy, but please meet me at the base of the mountain range near the river tomorrow at 3:00. I really need to talk to you in person. Sincerely, Mathew.'"

I balled up the paper and threw it away. "We're at war now. Does he actually think I'll be able to meet him anywhere? There's no way I'm going!"


	8. Chapter 8

_I guess I'm going,_ I thought as I climbed onto Brietta's back. _Please don't let this end badly._ I left the stables.

The vet had informed me after dinner last night that Brietta was in fact pregnant, and that she had been for the past month.

"Ten more months until we get to meet your baby," I said to Brietta as she raced towards the Highgulf border. _Hopefully, they'll go by quickly._

The closer to the border I got, the more I regretted choosing to meet Mathew. Wasn't this technically treason? But I didn't stop. Brietta and I kept going. _Seriously, why am I doing this?_

I got close enough to the border to see Mathew standing there, on my side of the border. _Did he swim across?_

I slowed Brietta down as we reached Mathew. I got off of her and got closer to the Prince. His clothes were definitely wet. He swam across the river. _How stupid can he be?_

"Nice of you to show up," Mathew greeted me.

"You're lucky that I did. What do you need to talk about?"

"The declaration of war."

I had a feeling that was going to be the topic of conversation. I really didn't want it to be.

"I think we should both talk to our parents and convince them to hear your side of the story," Mathew said. "I'm sure there's a better reason for not wanting to marry Annika. And... I think I know what it is." He gave me a knowing look full of sympathy.

"I've already told you, and everyone, the reason. I don't want to marry someone that I don't know," I said.

"I think there's more to it. You'd get to know her. It's something that many kingdoms have done for centuries."

"So, what? What do you think the reason is? I bet you're wrong," I snapped.

Mathew hesitated as if he was afraid to say it. "You're gay."

 _Crap..._ "No, I'm- I'm not. You're wrong!" I denied. _How? How does he know?_ I backed away from him, like that would prevent him from seeing that I was lying.

"You are. I can tell," he said gently.

I felt my ears get hot. From embarrassment? Anger because he was right? I crossed my arms. I couldn't process what was happening. How could he know? I'd kept that secret for four years. How did he figure it out in a few days?

"Please- please don't tell anyone," I whispered.

"I won't," Mathew said.

"Promise me! You can't tell anyone! Ever! Promise!" I yelled. My fear was taking over. My breathing was ragged. I was terrified. I could tell that Mathew was concerned, but I ignored that.

"I promise. I wouldn't even dream of it. Are you okay, Caleb? Maybe you should sit down," Mathew suggested.

I listened to him and sat on the grass. He sat next to me. I could feel hot tears on my face. _When did I start crying?_

"You're going to be okay, Caleb. I'm not going to tell anyone," Mathew said as he put his hand on my shoulder.

I wiped my face with the heel of my hand. I was shaking. _I can't believe I'm letting him see me like this._ I rested my head on my knees and tried to force myself to stop crying.

Mathew and I were quiet for a while before Mathew said, "I think you should tell your parents."

I looked at him. "Absolutely not. Do you know how quickly I'd get the throne snatched from me?"

"I think they'd be understanding," Mathew argued.

"You barely know them. I live with them. They'd disown me!"

"Think about it. It'd let your parents know why you rejected Annika. It'd give reason to the madness," Mathew pointed out.

"No," I insisted. "Being gay is illegal here. We have to hide it. We can't let anyone know who we truly are. And if a prince came out as gay, he'd probably get killed." _He doesn't understand the risks._

"Please think about it. It could end our new war," Mathew urged. 

_But it would start a whole new one in my kingdom, one you wouldn't be a part of._ "Why do you want to end it so much?" I questioned.

"I like your family. I don't want any of them to get hurt." He paused. "I don't want you to lose another family member, and I don't want to lose another one either."

I looked at him. _He's trying to protect us._ I sighed. "I'll think about it," I decided.

Mathew looked satisfied. "Thank you," he said. He stood and helped me up. My breathing still wasn't steady.

"Are you going to swim across?" 

"Probably. It's kind of the closest way," Mathew muttered as he looked at the river with disgust.

I looked over at Brietta, grazing on the grass. "I could give you a ride to the bridge."

"Could you? That'd be great," Mathew agreed, quickly changing his disgusted look with a pleased one. 

I nodded and helped him onto Brietta's back, just behind the saddle. I climbed on in front of him.

"Hold on to me," I told him, "we don't need you falling off."

Once he a grip on my waist, I snapped the reigns and Brietta began to run. I felt Mathew's grip on me tighten. 

"First time on a horse?" I called to him over the wind.

"Yeah. We don't own any, remember?" he responded.

I laughed a little and snapped the reigns again. Mathew's grip on me got tighter as Brietta went faster. I had a permanent smirk on my face for the whole ride. After a few minutes, we reached the bridge. I got off of Brietta and helped Mathew down.

"Thanks for the ride. It was actually kind of fun," Mathew said.

I paused for a moment. "Hey, you don't see me any differently now that you know that I'm gay, right?" I asked.

"Of course not. I've kind of known the whole time, almost," Mathew responded. He patted my back and walked across the bridge.

I stared after him. _How could he know almost the whole time? I thought I was hiding it well._ I sighed, not wanting to give it any more thought, and climbed back on Brietta and headed back to the castle.


	9. Chapter 9

"Where have you been, Caleb? We've been worried sick!" Mother cried as she opened my bedroom door.

"I went for a ride. I needed to clear my head."

"We're at war now. So many things could've happened to you. You could've been stabbed or kidnapped or-"

"Don't start with the list, Mother, you'll only make yourself worry more," I warned her.

Mother took a calming breath. "You're right, but I need you to tell us when you're leaving the castle. You're not exactly the most liked person in the kingdom right now," she explained carefully.

I sighed. "I know, and that's kind of my fault," I admitted.

" _Kind of_ ," Mother muttered. I don't think she intended for me to hear. "Why did you reject the marriage?" she questioned.

I looked away from her. _Should I tell her?_ "I have my reasons."

"And, as your mother, I should know what they are. Especially when it puts the entire kingdom at risk!"

 _What if it puts my life at risk? What's more important?_ "I can't tell you," I said.

Mother sighed. "Well, when you decide to tell me, I'll listen," she grumbled. "Oh, you're father is going into Highgulf with the army in a couple of hours. You should wish him luck."

"Wait, he's going to fight already?" I asked. 

Mother nodded. Her eyes drooped and she stared at the floor for a moment before she left my room. I stared at the spot that she had left unoccupied. _I've really messed up this time, huh?_

I stood and went downstairs to the Great Hall. That was most likely where Father would be. I trudged into the room and saw my family surrounding him. They stopped talking when they noticed me.

"Goodbye, Father. Good luck." I said as I tried to ignore the anger, at myself and at my family, rising in my throat. "I'm... so sorry."

I felt Father's hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him. He smiled down at me.

"Don't blame yourself," Father consoled me. "I promise that I'll be back." He wrapped his arms around me.

"You better," I said as I hugged him back.

We let go of each other. Father hugged the rest of the family, gave Mother a kiss, and left the Great Hall. I stared after him. I missed him already. He'd be gone for a while, and now Mother was in charge of the kingdom.

 _Why should he fight for my mistake?_ I wondered as I walked back to my room. I decided that I didn't want to be around people.

I sat down on my couch. I sighed. I had been doing that a lot lately. I guess it's a side effect of completely ruining your life. I lay down, using my arm as a pillow. _I really messed up._ I craned my neck to look out of my window. Dark storm clouds were starting to form in the distance. _Wonderful,_ I thought. 

Ever since I was young, I've hated storms. They always scared me. They were too loud. I remember many times, I'd go sleep in my parents' room. And believe me, I'd still do it now if the storm was bad enough.

I rolled over on my side and stared at the painting of the kingdom that Katie gave me. It had a surprising amount of detail. I could see tiny people walking in the city. I got off of the couch and grabbed the painting. 

I noticed something that I hadn't before. In front of the castle was a family, my family. They were tiny, but I could tell who was who. I smiled and flipped the frame. I saw small writing in the corner. It said:

Caleb, I spent four days painting this so you better like it. I tried to give you something special since 15 is a big deal. You're welcome. I love you, you idiot. From Katie.

She actually painted it. I was in shock. I didn't know Katie could do any kind of art. "Thank you, Katie," I whispered. "I should really get to know my siblings better," I told myself. I put the painting down and face planted onto my bed.

 _Even seeing that didn't make me feel better._ I heard a knock at my door. "Come in," I mumbled into my bedsheets. The door opened. I turned my head to look at my visitor, but I didn't get up.

Marie was staring at me, worry glinting in her pale eyes. "Your Highness, are you okay? You haven't looked this down since your grandfather passed away," she said.

"Grandfather Andrew was a great man and ruler," I told her.

"Don't try to change the subject, Prince Caleb," Marie scolded me gently. "What's wrong?"

I sighed, again, and buried my face in my covers again. "Nothing," I grumbled. I wasn't sure if Marie heard me or not. She stayed quiet for a minute. I felt her hand carefully touch my back.

"Dinner's ready. You should come down and eat," she told me. "It might help you feel better."

 _Doubt it,_ I thought, but I sat up and followed Marie downstairs. Mother and my siblings were waiting for me. I greeted them and sat down in my seat next to Katie. I picked at the food on my plate. I wasn't that hungry. Katie handed me a cookie that was on her plate. I took it, smiled at her, and took a bite. I finished it as quickly as I could.

"Caleb, why aren't you eating?" Mother asked.

I looked up at her. Did she seriously not know why? I thought the reason was obvious.

I felt guilty about the war I had caused. I was worried sick about my father, out fighting when I should really be out there. I started it, I should fight in it. I wanted to tell my mother all of it, but I didn't. I just said, "I'm not really hungry."

Mother looked at me with sympathy in her eyes. "Try to eat, please."

I looked back down at my plate and forced myself to take a bite of my green beans. I immediately felt nauseous. Apparently, I only had room for one cookie. I shook my head and dismissed myself from the table. I walked back upstairs to my room.

I changed into pajamas and climbed into bed. I didn't really care that it was only 8:30. I was tired of being awake. I wanted to sleep, but I couldn't have it. No matter how hard I tried, sleep wouldn't bless me with its presence.

I got up and put on my common clothes. I left the castle and went into the city. I walked slowly through the town until I found myself outside of the orphanage. I went inside. Everything looked the same as the last time I was there.

When I was younger, before Katie was born, I'd go to the orphanage with a guard. That's actually how I met Gabriel. He was an orphan, and I'd go and hang out with him pretty often until he got adopted a few years ago.

I was greeted at the desk. "It's been a while since you've visited," the worker, Mimi, said. I recognized her. She was the same woman that had worked the front desk years ago. 

"What can I help you with, Your Highness?" Mimi asked.

"I just want to hang out with some of the children," I told her.

She nodded. "Most of them are asleep, but I have twins that are still awake." She walked into a room and returned with two girls that looked to be around four years old.

"This is Eliza and Jackie," Mimi said. The twins weren't identical. Eliza had sandy blonde hair, and Jackie had black hair. Jackie was slightly taller and had emerald green eyes. Eliza had blue eyes. Both of the girls had freckles on their nose and cheeks.

They eyed me suspiciously. I knew people didn't come to the orphanage very often.

"Hi, girls. I'm Prince Caleb," I said. Jackie's eyes lit up when I mentioned that I was the Prince.

Jackie looked at Eliza. "I told you we'd meet a prince!" she squealed. Eliza still looked uncertain.

"Why don't you play with them?" Mimi suggested. She pointed at a corner of the lobby. It was stocked with toys. I smiled at the girls and led the way to the play area. Mimi guided the girls over to me.

I sat on the floor and got some building blocks. I gave some to the girls and kept some for myself. I began to build a small castle. The twins watched me until I used all of my blocks. They looked at each other then pushed their blocks toward me. They started adding on to my tiny castle. We kept building and rebuilding things for an hour.

When I had to leave, Jackie and Eliza hugged me and begged me to come back soon. "I'll try, but a prince is always busy," I told them.

They frowned and said goodbye. I left the orphanage and went back to the castle. The guard stopped me as I got closer.

"Stop! Who are you?" he asked.

"Leo, it's me," I said.

Leo looked into my eyes. "Sorry, Prince Caleb. The guards have been on edge since your-" 

I glared at him. "What?"

Leo hesitated. "Um... citizens have been trying to get into the castle. They want to... punish... you for your choice. Please don't have me executed!" he begged.

I looked down at the cobblestone road. "They're that mad at me, huh?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"They'll have to deal with it," I said. I acted tough, but I felt awful. There was no way I could fix this. I walked past Leo and into the castle.

"Prince Caleb!" Leo called after me. I stopped but didn't face him. "Please don't leave the castle without a guard with you again, for your safety," he told me.

I clenched my fists and continued walking. I felt absolutely terrible. I hated going places with guards. It drew attention to me, and that's the last thing I want.

I climbed the stairs and went to my room. I felt like I could sleep now. I changed clothes and climbed into bed. I fell asleep quickly.


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning, I woke to someone banging on my bedroom door. I jumped out of bed and yanked the door open. Marie was standing there, mid-knock. 

"What?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"You're supposed to be listening to the citizens with your mother today! Hurry up! Get dressed!" she ordered.

I closed the door, got dressed, and ran downstairs to the throne room. Citizens were already lined up to speak to Mother. I quietly joined her on our thrones.

Mother was speaking to a young woman. "I will send a guard to your home tonight. He will put a stop to the raids."

"Oh, thank you, Your Majesty!" The woman bowed and walked away. An older man took her place.

The man bowed and began speaking. "I'm here to ask something of His Highness, Prince Caleb," the man said. I glanced at Mother.

"Proceed," she said.

The man turned slightly to look at me. He bowed again. "You are fifteen, are you not, Your Highness?" he asked.

"I am, sir," I answered, not sure why he was asking.

"Your Majesty," the man said, addressing my mother again, "does the law of this land not state that once a man turns fifteen, he is able to fight?" 

I suddenly saw where this was going.

"You want Caleb to fight in the war?" Mother asked.

"He did start it, Your Majesty," the man pointed out.

Mother was quiet for a moment. "Does anyone else agree with this man?" she asked the citizens. Over half of the people in the room raised their hands. "Very well. I will discuss this with the Prince and let the citizens know our decision."

Remember how I said I wanted to fight? Yeah, I think I've changed my mind. The man bowed and left the throne room. The rest of the session went by in a blur. Several other citizens complained about me. None of them actually complained to me directly. I basically sat there and listened to my citizens talk crap about me.

When it was over, Mother requested my presence. "How do you feel about fighting?" she asked me.

"I'm terrified. I literally _just_ turned fifteen. They really expect me to fight?" I said.

"But they have a point. You did start the war. If you were older, you'd already be out there," Mother pointed out. "By rejecting Annika, you angered her family and started this whole mess."

"I can't help that I don't like her!" I argued.

"You just needed to get to know her. You would've grown to like her, as I did with your father."

"That wouldn't have worked."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm gay!" I shouted.

Mother went quiet. "I- you're what?" she asked.

"Nothing... nothing. It was nothing," I muttered. I could feel my ears turning red. My heart was pounding. _This was not how I wanted to do this._

"No, that was important. You're... gay?" Mother confirmed.

I slowly nodded, not looking at her.

"Caleb, I'm- I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, I know! You have to exile me or throw me in prison or have me executed-"

"No! No, Caleb, I'd never," Mother said. She wrapped her arms around me. "I'm sorry that I didn't think about that possibility. No one heard you. This can stay between us, okay?"

I nodded and hugged her back. She didn't hate me. She wanted to protect my secret. I have an awesome mother.

When we stopped hugging, Mother wiped my tears away with her thumb. "I love you so much. I'll never let anyone punish you for who you are," she whispered. 

"Thank you," I breathed. "I love you too."

"Does anyone else know?" Mother asked.

I hesitated. "Prince Mathew."

"Really? You told the brother of your betrothed before your own mother?"

"He actually guessed. I didn't tell him," I corrected.

"Either way, did he promise not to tell?" Mother asked.

"Yes, I made him promise. He actually encouraged me to tell you so you'd know the real reason that I rejected Annika," I told her.

"He's a nice person." Mother looked at me sideways. "Anyway, about fighting?"

I thought about it for a moment. "I'll fight if that's what the people want."

Mother looked at me, her eyes shining with pride and sadness. "I think that's what they want."

"Then it's what I'll do."

"We'll make the announcement after lunch then," Mother said. She hugged me quickly before walking away.

I went upstairs to my room. I opened my window and whistled for a pigeon. I grabbed a pen and paper and began to write. 

I wrote: Dear Mathew, I told my mother about what you guessed at the river. She was actually very supportive. I probably won't be exiled any time soon. But I'm going to fight in the war. It's what the citizens want. I could die, and of course, I'm terrified, but I have to suffer the consequences of my actions. Wish me luck! From, Caleb.

By the time I had finished writing, the pigeon was sitting on the window sill. I tied the letter to the pigeon's leg and sent it off.

I left my room and headed to the training room. Andrew wasn't there. _It's hard to practice without a partner..._ I grabbed two training swords, which were just wooden replicas of swords, and started to leave the castle.

"Um, Your Highness? Are you forgetting something?" Leo called to me.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm just going to meet Gabe," I told him.

"Ah, Mr. Ware," Leo said. "He's a nice boy, but you still need a guard, Your Highness."

"Fine, come on," I grumbled.

We left the castle together and headed to Gabriel's house. I knew the way by heart. Leo kept one hand on the sword by his side. I followed the streets, getting closer to the house by the second.

Finally, we reached the doorstep. I knocked and stepped back. Moments later, Gabe swung the door open. "Hey, Caleb! What's with the guard?"

"Safety," I answered. I handed him a training sword. "Practice with me?"

Gabe took the sword and led me to a grassy area next to his house. "Why'd you come here to train?" he asked me as we got into our stances.

"Don't tell anyone, but I'm going to fight, and I wanted extra training. No one was at the training rooms so I came here," I explained.

"Seriously? You're going to fight?" Gabe tried to stab my stomach, but I quickly sidestepped. 

"I don't want to, but it's what the people want. Also, it's my mistake," I thrust the sword into Gabe's side, "I need to pay the consequences."

"Ow," Gabe muttered as he rubbed his torso. "Well, I'll miss you while you're gone," he said as he slashed at me. "You better come back in one piece."

"I'll try."

We practiced for a couple of hours until Leo stopped us. "It's time for lunch, Your Highness. We must go back to the castle."

I said goodbye to Gabe and followed Leo back home. I noticed a few of the citizens glaring at me. I kept my head low, not daring to lock eyes with anyone. I could hear whispering. I focused on the conversation.

"Now? Should we do it now?" someone asked.

"He has a guard with him this time," another person said.

 _They're talking about me,_ I realized. I glanced down at the wooden sword in my hand. _This won't work if they attack._ I looked at Leo's sword. I could use that. I knew that all of the guards could use swords and knives. They carried both with them at all times.

I tried to hear the peoples' conversation again, but all I could hear were my own footsteps. _Maybe Leo scared them off._ Then I heard running from behind me. 

I grabbed the sword hanging at Leo's side and spun around just in time to stop the knife from slicing across my throat. "Leo, knife!" I yelled.

I pushed my attacker's knife away with my sword and got a good look at them. I was staring at the face of a thirteen-year-old boy. The boy attacked again, trying to stab me in the stomach. I sidestepped and caught a glimpse of Leo fighting with a young girl. _Why are they trying to kill me?_

"Stand down, kid! You'll be killed if you hurt me," I warned the boy.

"I don't care!" the boy screamed. He moved with incredible speed and caught my cheek with his blade. I winced and wiped the blood away.

"Vasin," the girl fighting Leo called, "this isn't working!"

"I can clearly see that, Violet," Vasin replied.

Vasin attacked me again, but I easily blocked his knife.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

"Our dad got drafted into the stupid war you started!" Vasin cried.

I stopped. I had forgotten that adults got drafted into battle if they were needed. I suddenly felt terrible. 

While I was distracted, Vasin took his chance. He lunged forward, plunging his knife into my right thigh. I screamed as Vasin pulled the knife out. My sword clattered to the ground.

I pressed my hands firmly against the wound. I clenched my teeth against the pain. I glared at Vasin. "Take your sister and get out of here while you still can," I told him as I sat down.

I saw fear flash through Vasin's eyes. He ran, calling after his sister. 

"Your Highness!" Leo cried. He crouched over me. "Can you walk?"

I tried to stand, but I fell to the ground, gasping from the pain. Leo grabbed his sword and put it back in its sheath. He gently picked me up and began carrying me to the castle.

"Aren't you glad you had me with you?" Leo asked.

"Shut up or I'll," I grimaced, "send you to the dungeon."

"Yes, Your Highness."

We continued in silence. After what felt like forever, we got to the castle.

"Prince Caleb, you're late for- oh no! Doctor! Someone get a doctor!"

I tried to focus on who was talking, but my vision was too blurry. I must've lost a lot of blood already. I heard people running around. "Help..." I muttered.

"We're trying, Caleb," someone told me.

"If this isn't fixed soon, he might lose his leg."

 _What? No, I want my leg!_ I felt someone touching my thigh. They were pressing something cold to my wound.

"Stitches, now! He's lost at least a liter of blood already. This wound needs to be closed."

"We haven't numbed him yet."

"At this rate, I doubt he can feel anything."

I could feel my heart pounding. _This is awful. Make it end._ My vision started getting black spots. I was about to pass out... from blood loss? I wasn't sure anymore, but I was obviously not okay. I saw black. "Goodnight."


	11. Chapter 11

I woke up several... hours later? Days? Who cares? I was just glad that I was alive. I sat up and realized that I was in the castle's hospital wing. "What happened?"

"Oh, Your Highness!" a doctor said nearby. I looked over at him. "You don't remember?" he asked.

I thought for a moment. "I... was stabbed... by a _child._ "

"You were, my Prince, but you're going to be fine. I stitched you up and dressed your wound after you passed out yesterday." 

"Yesterday? I missed the announcement!" I cried. I threw my sheet away, got out of bed, and crashed to the floor.

"Prince Caleb, you can't walk yet!" the doctor said as he helped me back into bed. "Stay in bed, please."

I listened to him. I looked at his name tag. Dr. Gil Hansen. _Dumb name._ "When can I leave?" I asked.

"Well, it was a pretty nasty wound. Whoever attacked you had every intention to kill you," Dr. Hansen said.

"You don't know who it was?" I asked, hope rising in my chest.

"No one does, unless you recognized them," Dr. Hansen replied. 

"I didn't," I lied. "They were young, definitely not someone I used to hang out with."

"Well, that'll make it harder to find your attackers. Leo said there were two of them."

I nodded. _Good. I don't want them to be punished. I've already ruined their life enough._

I looked down at my leg, which was wrapped in bandages. "How long till it heals?" I asked.

"It's not too deep. It should heal in about ten days."

"Ten days?" I exclaimed.

"It would take much longer if it was any worse. You're very lucky, Your Highness," Dr. Hansen explained.

"But what about the war. I was supposed to fight!"

"Yes, the Queen informed us. You'll be able to join the fight once you're healed," Dr. Hansen said.

"Fine. I guess I'll have to wait." My stomach growled. _I haven't eaten since breakfast yesterday,_ I realized. "Can I eat something? I'm starving."

"Oh! Of course," Dr. Hansen said, seeming embarrassed that he hadn't fed me earlier. He left the room.

I sat quietly until he got back. When he returned, he had a plate with cut-up chicken, green beans, and corn. He handed me the plate, along with a fork and a cup of sparkling grape juice. "Thanks," I said. I started eating.

"You should be able to walk in a couple of days, but you don't need to run or jump or anything like that. Just take it easy," Dr. Hansen instructed. "Also, I've notified your family that you're awake. They should be here any minute."

I thanked him again and continued eating. My family burst through the door moments later, just like Dr. Hansen said. 

"Oh, Caleb!" Mother cried as she rushed over to my bed. 

"Hello, Mother," I whispered. Katie stood beside Mother, her blue eyes shining with worry. 

"We were terrified," Mother told me as she gently grabbed my hand.

"I'm sure you were. I was too," I said. I turned my head to look at my brothers. They were young, but they knew what death was. They knew that my life was in danger.

"I'm going to be okay," I said. I showed them my leg, wrapped in white bandages and protected. "Dr. Hansen closed the wound and stopped the bleeding. I'll be able to walk again in a few days."

" _Days?_ Why days?" Levi asked. "I wanted to go horseback riding with you tomorrow."

I ruffled his hair. "I have to give the wound time to heal," I told him. "It'll go by quickly."

Levi pouted for a second before looking at my bandages. "Did it hurt?"

"It was the worst physical pain I've ever felt," I said honestly.

Keith reached out to poke my leg. "Don't touch me," I said as I grabbed his wrist.

Mother put her hand on my shoulder as I let go of Keith. "I guess you get more time before you go to war," she said. 

I nodded, feeling slightly relieved. I shifted my leg and felt pain shoot through me. I waited until it subsided before I spoke. "What are we going to do about the person that stabbed me?" I asked.

"Well, they've committed an act of treason. We'll definitely have to arrest them, and we'll probably have to execute them," Mother said quietly. She glanced at my siblings. 

_I need to tell her what happened. She might understand._ "Katie, Levi, Keith, leave the room for a moment."

"Why?" Katie asked. "We're siblings. You can say whatever you need to in front of us."

"No," I argued. "This is something that only Mother can hear."

Katie glared at me before leading Keith and Levi out of the hospital wing. I looked around quickly to make sure no one else was in the room. 

"What's wrong?" Mother asked.

"The people that attacked me were two children. I told them to basically leave the kingdom. The oldest one looks like he was thirteen. I don't want anything to happen to them, even if they tried to kill me," I blabbed. "They had a decent reason. Their father got drafted. I understand why they would hate me." 

"Oh, Caleb. We have to do _something._ " Mother said sadly. "We can't just let them go. They need to suffer the consequences."

I felt my heart sink. If Mother wanted to find them, then what could I do to stop her?

"Do you know who they are?" Mother asked.

I nodded. "Their names are Vasin and Violet. They're siblings."

"I'll send out a search party," Mother said firmly, sending me a message that I could do nothing to change her mind. I guess a mother's first priority is to protect her children. I nodded, and Mother left the hospital wing.

A few hours later, Dr. Hansen came back to check on me, along with a nurse whose name tag said, Celia Swanson. Dr. Hansen brought me a snack, and Nurse Swanson changed my bandages.

I got to see what my wound actually looked like, and I didn't like it very much. It was pretty gross. Nurse Swanson covered it quickly and the staff left me to rest.

Leo came to check on me after dinner, which I ate alone in the hospital wing. He apologized for not protecting me well enough, but I told him that it wasn't his fault. He still blamed himself.

After a while, I started to get a little tired. I knew it wasn't near time to sleep, but I had nothing better to do. I pulled the covers up over my shoulders and closed my eyes. I slowly drifted off to sleep and started to dream.

A replay of the attack. Vasin charged at me, but instead of stabbing my leg, he stabbed my chest. Pain spread through me. I fell to the ground, clutching my wound, breathing heavily. Blood was pooling on the ground.

I looked up at Vasin. His eyes seemed to glow with malice. He wanted me dead, and he was getting his wish. He stared at me as I slowly lost blood. My vision faded. Everything was going black. 

I jerked awake. I was sweating and shaking. I took some time to breathe deeply to calm myself down. When I was calm, I closed my eyes again. I slipped into a dreamless sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

I passed the days by staring at the ceiling and talking to the doctors and nurses in the hospital wing. I was extremely happy when Dr. Hansen said I could try walking. Nurse Swanson helped me get out of bed and onto my feet.

She kept her hands on my arms in case I fell. I took a few steps and felt the muscles in my legs screaming. I had no idea that not walking for a few days could have such an effect on me.

Nurse Swanson helped me walk back to the bed. I was already out of breath. _I really need to work on getting my strength back._

I rested for a few hours then tried again. Nurse Swanson and I repeated the walking and resting routine until I could walk on my own again. It took a few days, but it was worth it to be able to have my freedom back.

"Remember, no running or jumping for a while," Dr. Hansen reminded me before he let me leave the hospital wing.

I nodded and left. I walked to the throne room. Mother was sitting on her throne, casually reading a book. She looked up as I walked in.

"Caleb!" she gasped. She put her book down and ran over to me, holding her dress so she didn't trip. She wrapped her arms around me. "You're walking!" she said as she let me go.

"I am!" I laughed. Mother's smile was huge. "Nurse Swanson got me walking again. It hurt a lot, but I did it."

"I'm glad you did. The castle isn't the same without you walking around in it," Mother said. "We should go visit the twins. They've been pretty upset over your situation."

I agreed, and we walked slowly upstairs to Keith and Levi's room. Mother knocked on the door and waited for a few moments before Levi opened it. 

"Keith, Caleb's here!" Levi called into his room. He quickly hugged me. "Can we go horseback riding now?"

I laughed and said, "Not yet. I still can't do anything extreme. Doctor's orders."

Levi's face fell slightly. Keith came over and joined the conversation.

"How's your wound?" Keith asked.

"It's okay. It still hurts, but I have medicine for that. I don't have to stay in the hospital wing anymore," I responded.

"That's great," Mother commented.

"Yeah. I'm ready to sleep in my own bed."

I talked to the twins for a little longer then went to Katie's room. Mother left me, saying she had some Queen things she needed to take care of.

I knocked on Katie's door, and she opened it. "Oh, hey, Caleb," she greeted me.

"Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I'm walking again... obviously. I'm healing," I told her.

"That's awesome. I'm glad you're okay." She hugged me.

"Me too. It was pretty boring being in the hospital wing with nothing to do for the past week," I said.

We laughed together. "Anyway," I said, "I'm going to go lay down for a while. All of this walking is wearing me out."

"Okay, have fun," Katie said.

I left her alone and walked down the hall to my room. I opened my door and found everything the way I left it but cleaner. My bed was made, and there was a box on it. _What's that?_

I sat on my bed and grabbed the box. I opened it and removed what was inside.

I was holding a small knife. There was a note inside the box. I took it out and read it. It said:

Caleb, hello from the battle field. The war is going well, but the kingdom lost its first soldier today. That's his knife in the box. His name was Nick Glover. He was a friend of mine from my childhood. When you join me out here, I want you to have that knife with you. It would mean a lot to me if a piece of Nick got to see the end of the battle.

Don't worry about the danger out here. I'll do everything in my power to protect the rest of my soldiers. I look forward to seeing you and the family again. It shouldn't be long. -Love, your Father, the King.

 _Someone has already died? That's awful!_ I looked at the knife again and imagined a man holding it and fighting with it. It hurt my heart to think about it.

I put the knife back in the box and set it on my dresser. I went back over to my bed and collapsed onto it. I was tired, and Father's news didn't make me feel any better. I closed my eyes and relaxed.

I must've dozed off because when I opened my eyes, the sun was setting. There was a note next to me from Marie that let me know that dinner was ready. Marie would save some food for me.

I rubbed my eyes and sat up. I climbed out of bed. I went downstairs to the Great Hall. My family was there, finishing up dinner. 

"Nice of you to join us," Mother joked. I took my seat as a server brought my food to me.

"I may have taken a nap," I admitted.

Katie, Levi, and Keith laughed and got up from the table, leaving just me and Mother. She looked at me as they left the room.

"Your Father sent you a package, right? What was it?" she asked.

"Um... it was a knife... from one of the soldiers. Father wants me to have it when I join the fight," I explained.

"Someone died? Did he say who?"

I thought for a moment, trying to remember the name Father mentioned. "Nick Glover, I think."

Mother's eyes softened. "Oh, he was a good friend of your father's. Nick didn't even plan on joining the army until your father talked him into it."

I felt even worse now. If I hadn't started this war, Father's friend would still be alive. _Should I just marry Annika anyway? Just to end the war._ "That's terrible. I'm sure Father is devastated."

"Victor is strong, but I'm sure he isn't happy. He'll stay strong for his soldiers though," Mother agreed.

I finished eating and went back to my room. I changed clothes and went to bed. Even after my nap, I was still tired. I fell asleep quickly.

The next morning, I woke up without Marie knocking on my door, but someone had still been in my room. There was a large, white pill and a glass of water next to my bed. _Pain pill. I need that._

I took the medicine and drank the rest of the water. I slowly got out of bed, changed clothes, and went downstairs.

Levi saw me and called, "Ask the kitchen staff for food! They said they'll give you some when you wake up."

I waved at him and went down to the basement of the castle. I knocked on the kitchen door, and a man opened it.

"Hello, Your Highness. Are you here for your breakfast?" he asked.

I nodded. He left me inside the kitchen and left to grab my plate. "We kept it warm for you," he said when he returned. He handed me a plate stacked with food.

"Thank you."

The man bowed and I left the kitchen. I went back up to my room and ate there. It was warm, just as the man said it would be.

As I finished eating, a pigeon knocked at my window. I opened it, grabbed the note, and read it.

Dear Caleb, I'm glad you told the Queen about that. It's good that she's supportive. Either way, if you're ever exiled, I could try to talk my family into letting you live with us. Just a thought. I'm sorry that you have to fight. I have to fight in the war too. If I see you out there, I'll leave you alone. If you're close to death, I might even help you. I'm also terrified about joining the battle, but we can help each other out. We'll survive, I'm sure of it! Good luck! -Mathew

I started to put the letter away, but I noticed writing on the back of it.

P.S. I should probably tell you this since you kind of trusted me with your secret. I'm not straight either. The only difference between you and me is that my family knows about my not-so-secret secret.

I stared at the writing for a moment. He's gay too? What are the chances? Is being gay not illegal in Highgulf? I might just move there. Why didn't he just tell me at the river?

All of those questions crossed my mind, and I didn't have an answer for any of them.


	13. Chapter 13

A month had passed before Mother let me join the war. Even though Dr. Hansen cleared me two weeks ago, Mother still didn't want me to fight. I had an argument with her the first time she said no.

"Why can't I go? Dr. Hansen said I'm fine!" I had said.

"I am your mother and your Queen. You must listen to me. I said that I don't want you out there yet, and that's final. It's too risky. You must wait a little longer."

"I've done enough waiting! I'm already supposed to be out there."

"No, Caleb! I've said no. That's the end of the conversation."

I asked her every day after that if I could fight, and her answer was always no. Marie said that Mother was just worried about me. She didn't want me to get hurt again.

But today, I was leaving. Two guards stood next to me in stunningly shiny armor. I said goodbye to Mother and my siblings. On the way out of the castle, I requested to the guards that we stop by the stables. I wanted to see Brietta before I left.

Braxton, the vet, was there, checking on my horse. "Hello, Prince Caleb. I heard you were on your way to battle."

"I am. I wanted to say bye to Brietta."

Brietta whinnied when I said her name. "Hey, sweet girl," I whispered as I got closer to her. I stroked her neck, and she leaned into my touch.

"She's getting close to giving birth. Just a few more months," Braxton said.

I smiled. I couldn't wait to meet Brietta's baby, but I'd probably still be on the battlefield when it happened. "Send me a letter when she does. Keep me updated on her health," I ordered.

"Of course, Your Highness." Braxton bowed. I said goodbye to Brietta and left the stables.

The guards led me to the carriage that would take me to the war zone. I climbed inside, followed by the guards, and the driver snapped the reigns.

We reached the war zone in a few minutes. It was situated in the Countryside, a territory that was not yet claimed by any kingdom. I'm honestly surprised that Father hasn't claimed it yet. 

The carriage stopped and let me out. "You're on your own now, Your Highness," one of the guards told me.

"I'm not on my own. I have a whole army with me now," I disagreed. I turned and walked toward the cluster of tents. It was early in the morning, not even six o'clock, so everyone would most likely be asleep. 

I walked into the largest tent, assuming that it was my father's. I was right. Father was standing over a battle strategy board. He looked up as I entered. 

"Caleb, welcome. Please, sit. I was about to blow the horn to wake the soldiers. I can announce your arrival then," Father said.

I sat down on a wooden chair near the entrance to the tent. Father grabbed a bugle horn and stepped outside. He played a quick tune then returned to the tent.

"How's the battle going?" I asked him. 

"It's going. Two more soldiers have died, but more men on Highgulf's side have been slain. Speaking of, did you bring the knife?" 

I nodded and put my hand over the sheath on my side. "I also brought my sword," I said.

"Good." Father was quiet for a moment. "Caleb," he began. He stepped closer to me and put his hand on my shoulder. "Please be careful. It's dangerous out there, and if something happened to you, I don't know what I'd do."

I was silent. Father had never said anything like that to me before. Maybe because he's never had a reason to be worried about my safety.

Father didn't give me a chance to respond before he left the tent to speak to the soldiers. Everyone had gathered outside his tent. 

"Good morning, everyone," Father called. I joined him outside the tent. "I'd like to announce that Prince Caleb has joined us."

The soldiers bowed to me. I could hear some of them muttering. One word stuck out to me: finally. The soldiers were mad that I hadn't come sooner.

"Caleb would've joined us earlier, but he was severely injured by a citizen a month and a half ago. He had to have time to heal before he could fight." Father looked at me expectantly. He wanted me to say something.

"As my father said, I was injured and could not join the fight yet-"

"What happened, Your Highness?" a man from the crowd asked.

"... I was stabbed by one of the citizens. I had to get stitches, but I had a pretty quick recovery," I responded.

"Alright, enough messing around," Father said, raising his voice a little. "We're going to head to the Southeast and attack the Highgulf soldiers in their camp. They'll be waking soon. Grab your weapons and hurry."

"Caleb, come with me," Father whispered. He led me to a small shack near the camp. I could hear the horses before I could see them.

"I get a horse, and two soldiers of my choosing get a horse. I brought Harold with me, but the other two were provided."

We went inside. I recognized Harold, but the other horses were new. "This is Glimmer," Father said, pointing to a Thoroughbred. "She's my second-in-command's horse. And this," he moved on to the other horse, "is Striker. He's yours. He's an App-"

"An Appaloosa. Just like Brietta," I interrupted. Striker was a brown and white Appaloosa with brown eyes. He was beautiful.

"He's been difficult to handle, but I think you have a way with animals. I remember that one time you calmed down a scared cat that had found its way into the castle. And you actually got a squirrel to eat out of your hand. A _squirrel!_ "Father started laughing. 

"I asked to keep both of them as pets," I remembered. 

Father nodded, laughing a little harder. "He already has a saddle for you," he said in between laughs. "You can take him today." He got on Harold and left the stable.

I stood to the side of Striker. "Hi, boy! Do you want out? Can I take you?" I asked him. The horse just stared at me.

I tried to think back to when I first got Brietta. How did I get her to trust me?

I placed my hand slowly on Striker's neck and gently stroked him. He didn't pull away or act scared. I opened his stable and slowly stepped inside. I put on Striker's saddle, keeping my movements small and slow. He still seemed perfectly fine. _Maybe the others just don't know how to handle Appaloosas._

I led Striker out of the stables and climbed onto his back. He still wasn't fighting me. I noticed a man staring at me.

"You got Striker to work with you? That's amazing, Your Highness!" the man said.

"I guess I just have a way with animals. What's your name?" I asked.

"Oh, Jason, Your Highness. Jason Crane."

"You're my father's second-in-command?" I asked.

Jason nodded.

"Well, hurry up. Father wants us to leave soon," I said, not knowing how to continue the conversation. I snapped the reigns and left Jason behind.

I found Father and the soldiers near the edge of the camp. Father drew his horse close to me.

"I thought it would take longer for you to gain control of Striker," he said.

"You don't have enough faith in me. Your soldiers just don't know how to handle horses. He didn't put up a fight at all."

Father smiled at me then gave the signal to move out. We moved as one person and headed southeast to Highgulf's camp. Father led the way with Jason and me close behind.

"Stay on guard!" Father ordered as we got close to the camp.

I rested my hand on my sword's hilt, ready to pull it out as soon as I needed to. I pulled on Striker's reigns to slow him down. Highgulf's camp came into view.

It was about the size of ours, but their tents were closer together. All of the soldiers, including myself, looked at Father for orders. He waited almost a full minute before yelling, "Attack!" and charging down into the valley where the unsuspecting Highgulf soldiers were sleeping.

I charged down after him, followed by the rest of our men. Yelling ensued. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to get off of my horse or not. I spotted a man running towards me with his sword out, the Highgulf crest on his armor.

I unsheathed my sword and swung it right in time to stop the soldier's attack by slicing his arm. He gasped, and, while he was distracted, I got off of Striker so I could properly fight him.

We fought until I heard Father's voice echo through the valley, "Retreat!"

 _What? Why? We've barely done anything._ I quickly mounted Striker and rode off. I knew that the injuries I gave that Highgulf soldier would make it difficult for him to chase me. I got to leave the fight without a single scratch on me. Highgulf might want to train its soldiers better.

I followed the Summervale soldiers away from the Highgulf camp. I rode up next to Father. 

"Why did we retreat? Nothing was wrong," I said.

"That attack was just to scare them. We weren't trying to do any real damage," Father explained. "I told that to everyone yesterday. I probably should've informed you."

I nodded in agreement. "What's the point in scaring them? Aren't soldiers already scared?" I asked.

"Well, yes, but the scare tactic is to make them believe that we're more prepared and dangerous than them."

The conversation stopped as we got back to camp. Jason, Father, and I put our horses back in the stables, and I followed Father back to his tent. 

"We'll be sharing this tent. I made you a place to sleep over there," Father said as he pointed to the far end of the tent.

"Thank you," I said as I walked over to it. I put my sword on the ground next to the pile of blankets that I would be sleeping on. "Will we be fighting any more today?"

Father shook his head. "Not unless they attack first."

We ended the conversation there and went out to take care of things around the camp. I went to the stables and fed the horses. I took the little free time I had to spend some time with Striker. If I was going to take him to battle, I needed him to trust me as much as possible.

After a while, I was called to eat. Everyone ate together in one large tent. Father sat at the head of the table, and Jason and I sat next to him.

After we ate, I followed Father back to our tent. He briefed me on tomorrow's plans then said goodnight. I went over to my corner filled with blankets and sat down. I didn't realize how tired I was until then. I fell asleep almost automatically.


	14. Chapter 14

Three weeks went by. We had the same routine almost every day. We fought a little, we ate lunch, we took care of things around the camp, we ate dinner, and we had the possibility of fighting at night. I got tired of it quickly. I finally realized why so many soldiers go crazy during wars.

But this day felt different. I woke up with a strange feeling in my chest. I heard yelling and swords crashing together.

"Get up, Caleb! Your sword!" Father ordered. He ran outside. The fact that we were being attacked finally set in. I jumped up, grabbed my sword, and left the tent.

Soldiers were everywhere. I ran up to the nearest Highgulf soldier and swung my sword. The man blocked it and cut my arm. _I wish I wasn't so tired._

I backed away and struck again. The soldier and I fought for what felt like hours. I was covered in small cuts from getting distracted. The Highgulf soldier also had cuts on him, but not as many as I did.

I blocked his sword and pushed him away as I heard a pained scream from my left. I looked and saw my father, on the ground, covered in red, struggling to breathe.

"No!" I screamed. I saw a Highgulf soldier near Father with a sword covered in blood.

I left my opponent behind and ran towards the other soldier. I jumped over Father and brought my sword down over the soldier's chest. I kept attacking faster than he could keep up.

"Never touch my father again!" I emphasized each word with an attack. The soldier fell to the ground and didn't move. _I hope you're dead!_

I crouched over Father. "Get up," I whispered. "Please."

"I'm..." Father muttered. His breathing was ragged. "I'm afraid... that I can't," he said.

"You can! You have to, you need medical attention!"

"No, Caleb. I... think... it's my... time to go."

"It can't be! Not yet, not now!" I cried.

Father didn't answer. I saw him go limp. I took hold of his hand and bowed my head. Tears flowed freely from my eyes. The fighting was still going on around me, but I no longer cared.

I saw someone's shadow getting closer to me. _Kill me. End this suffering._

I could tell that a sword was near my head. It started to fall, but something stopped it with the clash of metal. I looked up and saw Mathew blocking a Highgulf soldier from me, sword against sword.

"Move on, Len. Give him some space," Mathew ordered.

"But he's the enemy!" Len shouted.

"You dare challenge your prince?" Mathew shouted back.

Len backed away. "No, Your Highness." The soldier left me alone.

Mathew crouched near me. He put his hand on my shoulder. "I'm not happy that you killed one of our best soldiers, but I am impressed. Continue mourning, I'll protect you," he whispered. He stood with his sword at his side.

I'd have to thank him later when I wasn't so emotional. I did what he said and continued to cry for my father. I didn't move for a long time, and I eventually ran out of tears to cry.

"Highgulf, retreat!" I heard someone call.

I felt arms wrap around me and pull me to my feet. It must've been Mathew. None of the Father's soldiers would have the bravery to touch me.

"You have to stand, Caleb. Keep going for him," Mathew said close to my ear.

I took a deep, shaky breath and nodded. Mathew let go of me, and I turned to face him. I knew I must've looked terrible, clothes ripped, covered in cuts, eyes red and puffy from crying, but Mathew had me beat. 

Not only did he have cuts, but he also had a large slice over his left eye. His eye was swollen shut and extremely bloody. I reached out and touched it. Mathew winced.

"Mathew," I said, my voice raw from all of the emotions that I was experiencing, "you should've gotten help for yourself."

Mathew shook his head. "Your safety was more important to me," he whispered.

"Prince Mathew, let's go!" someone called. Mathew smiled at me then ran off after his soldiers.

"Your Highness?"

I turned and saw Jason coming over to me.

"Are you-" He stopped when he saw Father's body. "No, it can't be."

I shook my head. "You're in charge now," I told him. "I'll organize a way to get him back to the castle for his funeral." I walked away and headed to the medical tent.

I got the help I needed and went back to Father's tent. It was weird not seeing him there. I kept thinking he'd walk in any second. But he wouldn't, and I had to keep reminding myself that he was gone.

I sat down on my pile of blankets and pulled my knees to my chest. I felt numb. Part of it was from pain medicine, and part of it was from the emotional pain. I just wanted to sleep, but it wasn't even lunchtime yet. I didn't want to see anyone. I didn't want to live anymore.

But I had to. 

Jason came to the tent about two hours later and called me for lunch.

"I don't want to. I'm not hungry," I told him.

"You have to eat, Your Highness. I know that you're going through a lot, but you also need to keep your health up," Jason insisted. "His Majesty wouldn't want you to give up."

Mathew's words came back to me. _Keep going for him._ I sighed and slowly stood. I followed Jason to the dining hall and sat down in my usual spot. Father's chair remained empty.

I looked at Jason. He was staring at the chair. "You should sit in it," I told him. "You're in charge now."

Jason looked at me. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. "You also need a second-in-command."

Jason thought for a moment. "I think you should be in charge, Your Highness. You're the prince. I'm a nobody," he admitted.

I shook my head. "I know almost nothing about strategy. I've only been here for a few weeks. I have no reason to be in charge," I argued.

"Then be my second-in-command," Jason requested. "I can prepare you for the role, and you can take over when you're ready."

I agreed. Jason seemed pleased. The food was put out as Jason moved to sit at the head of the table. 

I tried my best to eat what was provided, but every bite made me feel sick. Jason must've noticed because he whispered, "Don't push yourself, Your Highness. I just wanted to make sure you ate something."

I put my silverware down and sipped the water I was given, thankful for the opportunity to stop eating.

After lunch, Jason requested to spend some time with me. We went to the stables and talked while feeding the horses.

"You seemed close to the king," Jason said.

I hesitated. "I wasn't. Not really. I'm closer to my mother, but Father and I had our moments." I stroked Striker's neck.

"I was never really close to my father either, but I was devastated when he passed," Jason told me. "I won't lie to you, I struggled to go on with life, but I'm so glad I did. I wouldn't have met my wife or had my kids if I had just given up."

"That's nice. I'm glad it all worked out for you."

Jason looked at me. "It will work out for you too."

I smiled slightly. "How old are your children?"

Jason's eyes lit up at the chance to talk about his family. "Vasin is thirteen, and Violet is eleven."

I stopped petting Striker. _Are you freaking kidding me? How much worse can this day get?_ This is the father of the children that tried to murder me. I couldn't show him that anything was wrong. "I'm sure you love them very much," I said, trying not to look at Jason.

"Oh, I do. I'm sure they miss me a lot," Jason whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "One day, you'll have kids of your own, and you'll discover a brand new type of love."

I smiled at him. I honestly couldn't wait to have kids to raise. I wanted to be a father. I knew I'd be the best father.

"Look at me, I'm giving you the parental love speech," Jason laughed. "I'm sorry, Your Highness."

"No, please continue. It's actually making me feel better," I encouraged. "Also, you can call me Caleb. Saying 'Your Highness' all the time gets annoying."

Jason smiled. "Alright... Caleb." He went back to talking about his family. We talked to each other about random things until it was time for dinner.


	15. Chapter 15

Six months later, the war was still going on. I hoped everything would be resolved by now, but I was let down. The king of Highgulf was just as mad as he was the day it happened.

I would sometimes see the king while fighting, and he would glare at me. I always wondered why he would never try to fight me. I'm glad he didn't. I wouldn't win.

Mathew keeps trying to protect me, even though we're on different sides. I know he said he'd help me if I needed it, but he's on the verge of getting arrested for treason. I really don't understand him.

I've been holding my own against Highgulf's army, and I've only had eleven breakdowns since Father died. I think that's an achievement.

Jason was a natural-born leader, but he still wanted me to take over. He spent the downtime we had teaching me everything that he knew about war. I still didn't want to be in charge, but he insisted. He wasn't going to change his mind.

Jason and I had planned an attack on Highgulf around midday, and it was getting close to the time to strike. We gathered our army together, reviewed the plan, and set out. I expected Highgulf would be waiting for us. 

I was right. As we got closer, more soldiers became visible. They were ready for us. Our soldiers spread out around me and Jason. We had a plan.

Attack from every angle possible. Prepare for whatever may happen. We didn't plan on going back to camp with many injuries. Jason and I had spent months training the soldiers to be better fighters. We had an advantage.

Jason gave the signal to attack, and I launched towards the nearest Highgulf soldier. I cut his arm open, which made me think about the scar on my arm. I attacked again, trying not to give the soldier much time to counter.

I fought him for a while before he retreated and moved on in hopes of finding someone easier to fight. Another Highgulf soldier replaced him.

"Didn't think you'd escape me forever, did you?" the soldier asked.

I recognized him as Len, the soldier that tried to kill me while I was grieving for Father.

I said nothing. I swung my sword, aiming for Len's throat, but he blocked me. I attacked again. He blocked me again. He was good, but I had to win. I refused to give him the satisfaction of killing me. 

Len attacked next. I quickly stepped to the side. Len predicted that. He tripped me as I stepped, and I fell hard on my back. My breath was knocked out of me.

Len tried to stab me, but I raised my sword in time to stop him. I tried to get up, but Len's attacks were too frequent. I would have to find a way to stand, and soon.

Len tried to stab me again. I blocked again, but he managed to cut my stomach. _I'm slowing down,_ I realized. I needed to stand. It was getting hard to keep up with Len's attacks while laying down.

Len seemed to notice that. His attacks got faster if that was even possible. One of his attacks caught my shoulder, and I screamed. Len took that opportunity to knock my sword out of my hand.

 _This is where I die,_ I thought. But I was wrong. 

Someone screamed at Len to stop. Len looked over, and I took my chance.

I pushed him back with my legs, stood up, and ran to grab my sword. I looked for my rescuer and saw Mathew coming over. I should've known it was him.

Mathew looked like he was going to stab Len. Would he really attack one of his soldiers? I wouldn't be opposed to it. But he didn't. He just started yelling.

"That was not a fair fight! I thought we trained you to be more honorable than that!" Mathew spat.

"He's the enemy, and this is the second time you've saved his life! I'm beginning to think you care about him more than us," Len accused.

Mathew ignored him "A Highgulf soldier never steals someone's weapon, and _never_ attacks an unarmed man," he told Len. "I think you should be sent home for this."

The good news? I was safe, for now. The bad news? All of Mathew's yelling had attracted his father's attention.

The king came over and stared at his son. "What's going on?" he asked.

"His Highness keeps saving Summervale's prince, Your Majesty. I'm beginning to think his loyalties do not lie with us anymore," Len said as politely as he could.

King Adam stared at Mathew. "You've been protecting him?"

Mathew stayed quiet. The king understood what that meant. "Why?" he demanded.

"He's my friend. I can't let him get hurt."

The king didn't like that answer. "Fight him. Prove your loyalty to Highgulf and fight him."

I looked at Mathew. Would he do it? Mathew looked back at me. He looked torn. He wanted to prove his loyalty, but he didn't want to hurt me. 

Mathew took a small step forward, his grip on his sword tightening. I brought my sword up, ready to defend myself. Len looked surprised but pleased.

Mathew got closer to me. His eyes flicked to my injured shoulder. His eyes darkened with anger. He threw his sword down.

"I can't do it! He's my friend. I refuse to hurt him!" he yelled.

"Do it now, Mathew!" King Adam ordered.

"No! Imagine if someone asked you to attack Mother. That's how this feels!"

Understanding flashed in the king's eyes. "Oh, Mathew... Highgulf, retreat!"

Len looked furious. Mathew looked relieved, and I'm sure I just looked confused.

Mathew caught my eye, whispered, "Meet me at the border between Highgulf and the Countryside at sunset. I think we need to talk," and then ran off after his father.

The Highgulf soldiers followed their king back to their camp. I stayed put. _Why does he want to talk? Did something happen?_

"Prince Caleb? Is everything all right?" Jason asked as he walked up behind me.

I nodded and turned to walk back to camp.

"You'll need to get that shoulder looked at when we get back," Jason told me.

"I will. It's not too bad. Definitely not as bad as when I got stabbed in the leg," I chuckled.

I still haven't told Jason that it was his children that attacked me eight months ago. I wasn't sure if Vasin and Violet had left the kingdom or not. I guessed that they had, but I could never be sure. I didn't know if Jason knew that his kids might be gone, and I wasn't going to ask.

We got back to camp, and I headed to the medical tent. The nurses helped me. One of them told me that I needed to stop getting hurt. I agreed and left after a nurse bandaged my shoulder.

I joined Jason in our tent. Jason moved into Father's tent with me so we could communicate better. He slept where I did when Father was still here. I took Father's spot.

"How are you? Did they fix you up?" Jason asked as I sat down.

"They always do," I replied.

Jason laughed at that. We talked for a little bit before someone entered the tent.

"Your Highness? I have a letter for you," they said.

I took it and thanked him. I opened the letter and read it. 

Prince Caleb, I should've told you sooner, but Brietta had her foal three months ago. It's a beautiful boy. I waited to tell you because I wasn't sure if he was going to survive. He was born late and almost died during birth. He's healthy now, but he needs a name. I'm sure he's tired of me calling him Foal. Sincerely, Braxton.

I smiled. _I need to think of a name._

"What is it?" Jason asked.

"My horse had her baby," I said.

"That's wonderful, Caleb!"

I thought of names for a while before dinner. I walked out of the tent and realized that it was close to sunset. I ate quickly and left, heading toward the Highgulf border.

Mathew was already there. He greeted me as I got closer. "You look happy."

"Brietta had her baby a few months ago," I explained.

"That's great! What's its name?" Mathew asked.

"He doesn't have one yet. I've been thinking of one, but I haven't picked one."

"Maybe I could help you choose."

I shook my head. "I don't think we came here to talk about horse names."

Mathew smiled. "No, we didn't. Do you know why we're here?" he asked.

"I'm here because you told me to meet you here," I answered.

Mathew looked down at the ground then back at me. "You really have no idea?"

I shook my head.

Mathew laughed a little. "I thought it was obvious. I thought even you would notice."

I was confused. _What is he talking about?_ "Notice what?"

"My feelings."

I was silent. Mathew took that as a sign that I didn't understand what he meant.

"My feelings... for you."


	16. Chapter 16

"I like you, Caleb. I have since we visited Summervale for your birthday," Mathew admitted.

I was honestly shocked. I was confused, but not about Mathew's feelings. I was confused about my own. Mathew was my friend, but... maybe I'd be okay with him being more than that.

"I want this war to stop," Mathew said. "I hate having to hurt your people. I go easy on them. That's how I got this." He touched the large scar over his left eye. "I can't stand it. I feel like every attack is betraying you. I just..."

I stopped listening to him. He was starting to ramble, and I was thinking about doing something. I looked Mathew in his eyes and smiled.

"Mathew..." I got closer to him. "Stop talking." I pressed my lips to his.

It was a nice couple of seconds. When I backed away, I noticed how much taller Mathew was than me. He had to be at least five inches taller. _I better hit a growth spurt. He seems like the type of person that would make fun of my height.  
_

Mathew was quiet. The sun had almost completely set, and the stars were starting to show.

"Does that mean that you like me too?" Mathew asked.

I nodded, suddenly feeling too nervous to speak.

Mathew chuckled. "I always thought I'd be the one to kiss you first."

"You didn't act fast enough," I joked. My heart was pounding. I was surprised that Mathew couldn't hear it. I took a slow breath.

"Are you my... boyfriend now?" Mathew asked.

I smiled and looked into his eyes. He had beautiful green eyes. "I'd like that," I whispered as if someone would hear, and I'd get in trouble. 

Mathew smiled and wrapped his arms around me. "It's illegal to be gay in Summervale, right?" he asked.

I nodded, my hair getting ruffled from brushing against his shoulder.

Mathew let go of me. "To think that a prince would break the law."

"You stole from me the first time we met," I reminded him.

"You're going to hold that over my head for the rest of our lives, aren't you?"

"Absolutely!" I laughed.

It was completely dark now. I looked up at the stars. There were so many of them. Mathew looked up too.

"I love looking at the stars," he said. "Me and my sister, Melody, used to stargaze all the time. We loved it. Sometimes I'll stare at the stars and think about her."

I looked at him. He suddenly looked sad. He looked at me, and his face immediately changed. His smile returned, and his eyes filled with love.

He leaned forward and kissed me. "I really like you, Caleb. I'm so glad that I told you."

"Me too," I admitted. 

We decided that we needed to go back to our camps, even though we really didn't want to. Before we left, we came up with a way to get the war to end faster.

Mathew was going to talk to his father and try to get him to end it. If that didn't work, he'd tell the king about our relationship.

Mathew said that his father would never hurt someone that Mathew cared about. I asked if Mathew would get in trouble for liking me. He told me that his father already knew that he was gay so it didn't matter.

We parted ways, after a hug, and I headed back to camp. I went into my tent. Jason was still awake.

"Where have you been? I've been worried!" he asked.

"I went for a walk. I just wanted some alone time."

"This is a war zone, Caleb. You can't be alone," Jason said. He sounded exhausted.

"I'm sorry I kept you awake. I should've told you what I was doing," I said. "Get some sleep."

I walked over to my side of the tent, changed clothes, and got on my pile of blankets. I said good night to Jason and closed my eyes.

But I couldn't sleep. I was way too happy. I had a boyfriend! And it was Mathew, of all people. This was the happiest I'd ever been. I wanted to tell someone, but I couldn't. I didn't want to out myself.

At least I knew what my first act as king would be. I was going to make being gay completely legal in Summervale. That way, if Mathew and I stay together, we'll be able to rule together.

 _What if he doesn't want to rule Summervale with me?_ I wouldn't be able to move to Highgulf with him. That's not where my family is. And they can't have pets so I wouldn't be able to bring Brietta and her baby. I can't leave them.

Maybe Mathew would be willing to live in Summervale. I hope so. I can't live anywhere else. Even visiting my family wouldn't be enough for me. I have to live with them.

After thinking about Mathew and the future for a couple of hours, I finally fell asleep.

I woke up in the morning, and the first thing I did was remind myself that I had a boyfriend. I smiled to myself. I couldn't believe it.

"Oh, you're awake," Jason said as he walked over to me. He handed me a letter. "This came for you." I opened it.

It was a drawing of a horse. It looked exactly like Brietta but smaller. The back of the drawing said, "Brietta's baby," and it was signed by Braxton.

"He looks just like Brietta," I told Jason. 

"Your new foal?"

I nodded. "I know what I'll name him: Echo."

"That's a nice name, Your Highness," Jason said. 

I agreed and grabbed a piece of paper and something to write with. I wrote:

Braxton, I've decided to name the foal Echo. He looks just like his mother. I think it's a perfect name for him. Thanks for the drawing. From, Prince Caleb.

I had Jason send the letter for me. When he returned, I told him the plans for the day.

"I think we should plan for a relaxed day today. We won't be directly attacking. We'll fight if they attack first," I explained.

"You think that's a good idea?" Jason asked.

"Of course." I didn't really want to risk Mathew getting hurt because of something I ordered. "I don't think we need to attack first today."

"Whatever you say, Your Highness," Jason muttered.

"I really want this war to be done," I admitted. "I want to see my family and my pets again. I miss them."

"We all miss our family, and I'm sure none of us actually want to be here," Jason said.

I thought of Len. I wondered if we had anyone like him in our army. I hoped not. "Some of us might," I argued.

Jason grunted in reply. I could tell that he wasn't too happy about not attacking, but I wanted to give Mathew a chance to talk to his father about ending the war.

We ended up not fighting Highgulf that day.

A week later, I got a letter from King Adam. I was surprised and very hopeful. I opened it and read it.

Dear Prince Caleb, I would like to meet with you and your commander to discuss some important things that Prince Mathew has brought to my attention. I have hopes of ending this war. Meet me at the center of the battlefield at twelve o'clock. From, King Adam of Highgulf.

I smiled. Mathew came through! I wanted to hug him, but I couldn't. He was too far away at the moment. Excitement bubbled up in my chest. _We might be able to end this stupid war!_

I found Jason and told him the news. "That's great, Caleb! I was wondering why they hadn't been attacking at all lately..." Jason paused. "Wait, twelve o'clock? That's in two hours!" he realized.

"I'm sure King Adam thought the letter would get here sooner," I said.

Jason agreed, and we spent the next two hours preparing for our meeting. When it was time to go, we got on our horses and rode towards the center of the battlefield. Jason talked to me as we rode.

"Make sure you don't do anything to upset the king. We want him to like us enough to call off the war."

I looked at him. "I know not to be rude to royalty," I said. "I'm not stupid."

We got to the meeting place, and Mathew and King Adam were already there. I got off of Striker and bowed to both of them. It felt strange to be bowing to my boyfriend.

Mathew smirked at me as if he could tell what I was feeling. I ignored him and focused on the king. "You wanted to meet with us, Your Majesty?"

"Yes. My son brought some things to my attention regarding the reason we're in this mess," King Adam said. "I'm sure you know what I'm referencing, Your Highness. Would you prefer to speak alone?"

I looked at Jason. "I would, if you don't mind," I replied. "Jason, please leave for a moment."

Jason seemed unsure. He kept glancing at the king. "Are you sure, Your Highness?" he asked.

I nodded, and Jason walked a few yards away. I faced the king and Mathew. "Please continue," I said to King Adam.

"Mathew mentioned that you have a secret," the king began. "That you're... gay, and it's illegal in your kingdom."

"I am, and it is," I confirmed. "That's why I refused to marry Princess Annika. My mother knows, but no one else in my kingdom does."

The king's eyes softened. "And you're dating my son?" he asked.

I looked at Mathew. He smiled at me and reached out to grab my hand. I took it. "I am," I said softly.

King Adam put his hand on my shoulder. "You have my blessing, Prince Caleb."

Mathew squeezed my hand. "Thank you so much, Your Majesty!" I said.

"Thank you, Father," Mathew whispered. He wasn't looking at the king. He was looking at me. I looked at him. He smiled and squeezed my hand harder. I squeezed back.

"You should get back to your army," King Adam said, "and tell them that this pointless war is over."

"Really?" I asked.

King Adam nodded. I almost cried right there. I was so happy. Finally, everything was going right.

I thanked the king again, hugged Mathew out of pure joy, then called Jason so that we could head back to camp. I told him about the war being over. He was happy, I could tell, but he was also looking at me strangely. It was then that I realized he was probably watching me the whole time.

"If you tell anyone about what you saw, I will personally execute you," I threatened.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Your Highness," Jason whispered.


	17. Chapter 17

It took a couple of days to get all of the soldiers home safely, but we did it. It was finally time for Jason and me to say goodbye to each other. We had become friends over the past six months.

"We can always visit each other," Jason reminded me.

I nodded. "I'm glad I didn't have to take over for you," I laughed.

Jason smiled. "That's a shame. You were getting pretty good at leading. You've matured a lot since we've been out here. I think you'll be a great king."

I thanked him. "Well," Jason said, "I think it's time to get back to my wife and kids."

My heart skipped a beat. _I need to tell him about his kids._ "Jason, we need to talk."

He looked concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Your kids," I began, "they're the ones that stabbed me before I came here. I told them to leave the kingdom so they wouldn't get in trouble. I didn't want them to be punished. They were just mad because you were forced to join a war that I started. I don't know if they left or not, but I wanted to warn you."

Jason was quiet. I could tell that he was trying to process the information. "Thank you," he eventually said. He turned and walked away towards the carriage that would take him home.

 _He's mad. He has a right to be._ I went to my carriage and climbed in.

"It's nice to see you again, Your Highness," my guard greeted me.

"I looked at him. "Leo!" I exclaimed. "It's nice to see you too."

Leo and I talked during the whole ride back to the castle. He caught me up on things that have been going on at the castle, and I told him how it felt to be out on the battlefield.

We reached the castle and the carriage stopped. Leo let me out and led me into the castle. My family was waiting for me. 

"Welcome home, Caleb!" they shouted at me. My siblings ran over and hugged me. I hugged them as hard as I could. I didn't realize how much I missed them.

Mother joined the hug, but someone was missing. Father wasn't there. He was gone, and that was all my fault. I wondered how my family had taken the news of his death.

"We missed you so much, Caleb," Mother told me. 

"I've missed you guys too," I whispered. I hugged them harder if that was even possible. 

After talking to them for a little while longer, I went up to my room. I sat down on my bed. It felt great to have an actual bed. No more sleeping on a pile of blankets. I probably would've fallen asleep if Mother hadn't walked into my room at that exact moment.

"Hi, Mother," I greeted her. "What's up?"

Mother sat down on my bed. "I got a letter from the King of Highgulf yesterday. It mentioned something very important that I didn't want to talk about in front of your siblings."

I could guess exactly where this was going. "And what was that?"

"You're dating Prince Mathew?" Mother asked.

"I am. Are you okay with that?" 

"Oh, of course, I am. I'm okay with anything that makes you happy," Mother said.

"Thanks." I hugged her tightly. If Father was still here, everything would be perfect. 

When we stopped hugging, Mother sat back ad eyed me carefully. "You look so grown up now," she gushed.

I smiled. "I guess war can change people."

"I can't imagine all of the terrible things you've seen." 

I didn't want to think about that. Mother seemed to understand that and changed the subject. 

"You know, you'll be able to take over the kingdom in a few months. Once you're sixteen, it's all yours," she reminded me.

Was I ready? I wasn't sure. Mother seemed to think I was. Jason thought I was. Would Father think I was ready to take over his kingdom? 

"This year has passed really quickly. I feel like I turned fifteen just yesterday," I admitted.

"You've had a busy year, Caleb, but you've matured so much because of it."

I agreed. I could tell that I wasn't the same person that I was before the war. I suddenly remembered Brietta.

"I'm going to the stables," I told Mother.

"I'll go too. I've been wanting to ride Blue, but I wanted to wait until you got back," Mother said.

We walked to the stables together. Brietta made a lot of noise when she saw me. "Hi, Brietta!" I called to her.

She whinnied at me. I gently stroked her neck. "I've missed you, girl," I told her.

Suddenly, Brietta turned around and whinnied at something behind her. I saw movement, and a mini Brietta walked over to me. My heart ached because of how beautiful he was. "Hello, Echo," I whispered.

Echo neighed at me. He really did look exactly like Brietta. "He's wonderful, Brietta," I said. She looked so proud of her baby.

Mother and I got our horses and took them out of the stables. I climbed onto Brietta and watched as Mother climbed onto Blue. Her legs hung together over one side of the sale.

We rode until it was time for dinner. I didn't realize how much I missed riding a horse for fun. I didn't realize how much I missed riding Brietta. It was different from riding any other horse. Riding Brietta was special.

We put our horses away and went back inside. Mother and I sat at the table and waited for my siblings to join us. "We're having a feast to celebrate you coming back, the end of the war, and..." Mother paused. "Well, the last one is a surprise for you."

My siblings joined us, but Katie didn't sit next to me like she normally would. Keith and Levi kept giving me strange looks. Katie was giving me an 'I-totally-knew-it' stare from across the table.

Moments later, the doors to the dining hall opened. Mathew and his family walked into the room. Mother stood and greeted them with a curtsey like she was expecting them. I slowly stood and bowed. My siblings followed my lead.

"Welcome!" Mother said. "It's an honor to have you back in our Kingdom. This time, we'll try not to start a war." She looked at me. My ears started to burn. "Please, join us for dinner, and enjoy your stay for the next couple of days."

 _A couple of days? When did they plan this?_ I wondered. Mathew sat in Katie's normal seat. Annika sat in the seat to my left. The king and queen sat on the other side of the table with Mother and my siblings.

Dinner was served. When Mother said we were having a feast, she meant it. There was food on the table that I hadn't even heard of.

We ate and talked. Annika asked me, "You're dating my brother now?" 

I swallowed the food in my mouth and said, "Yeah, I am." I glanced at Mathew. He rested his hand on my leg. I looked back at Annika. "I should've told you what was going on."

"No, I understand. You didn't know how we'd react. I don't blame you at all," Annika said.

"Thanks." I was glad that she had no hard feelings. I would've felt awful if she had been hurt by my actions.

As we finished up dinner, I realized that that was the first conversation I'd had with Annika. She was actually kind of cool. She seemed pretty relaxed for a princess. Actually, their whole family was relaxed during certain situations. Things must be very different in Highgulf.

After dinner, we headed up to our rooms. Mathew was following me. "Don't you have your own room to go to?" I asked.

"I'm going to it," Mathew replied. "The queen had the maids send my things to your room." He smirked.

I rolled my eyes and continued to my room. Mathew's stuff was sitting on my couch. He sat down and started unpacking things that he'd need tomorrow morning.

I watched him. It was still hard for me to believe that he was my boyfriend. It was hard to believe that I even had a boyfriend. I smiled to myself. 

"You want to see the horses after you're done unpacking?" I asked.

Mathew looked up at me from the couch. "Absolutely." He continued unpacking. "Could I ride one?" 

"Yeah, you can ride my... my father's horse..."

Mathew looked back up at me. "Oh, Caleb..." he whispered. He stood and came to sit next to me. "It sucks about what happened to the King. I wish I had gotten there sooner to stop it."

I smiled weakly at him as he took my hand. "Thanks, Mat, but I don't think there would've been much you could've done," I said.

"Woah," Mathew laughed. "'Mat?' Since when did you give me a nickname?" 

I shrugged. "It's just something I wanted to test out. I can stop if you want."

Mathew shook his head. "Nah, I think it's cute," he said. "I could call you... Cal? Or something."

"Cal... sure. I like it," I decided.

"Great. Want to go ride horses now?" Mathew asked.

"Yeah, let's go," I responded.

We stood and left my room. We ran into Mother on the way down. 

"Where are you two going?" she asked. 

"The stables," I replied. "Mathew wants to ride."

Mother nodded. "Have fun, be safe."

We left the castle and walked towards the small building beside the castle. I could hear the horses inside. I smiled and looked at Mat. He looked excited.

"It's been so long since I've ridden one of your horses," he said.

"Yeah, back at the river," I remembered.

"Yep. Back when I kind of forced you to come out to me..." Mathew said, glancing sideways at me.

I nodded. "I'm glad you did. We wouldn't be together now if you didn't," I told him.

He grabbed my hand. We walked into the stables. Brietta whinnied at me as if she hadn't just seen me before dinner. Echo followed her lead. 

"You're so cute, Echo," I laughed.

"I love that name," Mat said, squeezing my hand. "He's so cute. He really does look exactly like Brietta."

"I can't wait until he's old enough to ride," I said. "Come on. Grab Harold, and let's go."

I put on Brietta's saddle and helped Mat put on Harold's. We took the horses out of the stables. I helped Mat climb on then I got on Brietta. 

"Ready?" I asked Mathew. He nodded. "We'll start slow. I don't want you to fall off."

"Aww! You care," Mathew laughed.

I rolled my eyes. "Sure, I guess I care a little."

Mathew smiled and lightly snapped the reigns. I followed his lead. We rode slowly, following the trails behind the castle. Mathew seemed to be enjoying himself. He snapped the reigns again, wanting Harold to speed up.

"Don't go too fast!" I called. "You're new to this." I caught up to him.

"Don't worry! I'll be fine," Mathew insisted.

I sighed as he continued to speed up. I kept pace with him, not wanting to trail behind in case he fell off.

"You're actually kind of good at horse riding," I praised. "Are you sure you've never done this?"

"Guess I'm a natural," Mathew laughed.

I smiled as I watched him. He looked so carefree. It was a nice change from the war. And now that both of our parents know about our relationship, we can be ourselves. I finally felt free.

"This is really fun, Cal," Mathew told me. "I didn't think I'd enjoy it this much!"

"We'll have to do this more often," I said.

Mat agreed. "We should probably head back. It's getting dark," he pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right," I said. We rode the horses back to the stables and put them away. We went back inside and up to my room.

Once back in my room, I sat down on my bed. "I'm so tired," I groaned.

"You haven't done anything all day," Mat laughed.

"You don't know what I've done," I said.

Mathew smiled at me and sat down on my bed. "I had fun today," he said.

"Me too. We'll have plenty of time to do things like that when we're the Kings of Summervale," I said happily.

"...Summervale?" Mathew asked. 

I hesitated. _I knew this would happen._ "Do you... not want to rule with me?" I asked, nervous for his answer.

"Well, I thought we could rule Highgulf," Mathew whispered.

"We... we don't need to talk about this now," I said. "We have plenty of time to discuss it."

Mathew nodded. "It's getting late. We should probably sleep."

I agreed. We both changed clothes. I climbed into my bed, and Mathew got on the couch. 

_I messed up. I shouldn't have mentioned it!_ I rolled over and tried to relax. I really didn't want to ruin this relationship. It had barely started.

I closed my eyes and rolled over. _Don't think about it too much,_ I told myself. Everything could change. Mathew and I might not even be together by the time I become King. Nothing is set in stone.

I was half asleep when I felt pressure on my bed. I rolled over and saw Mathew crawling into my bed. I moved over a little to give him more room. He got comfortable and draped his arm around me. 

"We can rule Summervale together if that's what you want," Mat said. "I want you to be happy."

I relaxed into him. "I want you to be happy too," I said.

Mathew held me tighter. "I'm happy as long as I'm with you." He gently kissed my forehead.

I closed my eyes and fell asleep quickly.

I woke up before Mathew the next morning. Mathew still had his arm around me. I smiled. I wished I could wake up to him every day.

Someone knocked on my door. I quietly said, "Come in."

Marie opened my door. She saw Mathew in my bed and smirked.

I could guess what she was thinking. "Nothing happened," I told her.

"I didn't say anything," she laughed.

"But you were thinking it."

Mathew shifted beside me. He opened his eyes and smiled when he saw me.

"Did we wake you up?" I asked him.

He shook his head. He stretched and yawned. He was adorable when he was sleepy. I have no idea how I didn't realize my feelings for him earlier. 

"Breakfast is almost ready," Marie said. "Get dressed and come eat, Your Highnesses." She curtseyed before she left the room.

Mat yawned again and got out of bed. We got ready for the day and walked down to the Great Hall.

Mathew and I sat next to each other. The servers brought us eggs, sausage, biscuits with jelly, and orange juice. 

"Good morning, Caleb, Prince Mathew," Mother greeted. "Did you two sleep well?"

"We did," Mathew responded. "Maybe even better than I do at home."

"I'm glad," Mother said. She looked at Princess Annika. "Did you sleep well too?"

"Yes, I did," the princess replied.

Mother smiled. "Wonderful. Now eat. You all can have as much as you want."

I shoved the eggs into my mouth. I was starving. I finished them quickly and moved on to the sausage.

"So, Prince Mathew," Mother started, "your birthday is tomorrow, right?"

"It is," Mathew said. "I'll be seventeen."

"I didn't know that," I said. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Mathew shrugged. "I guess I forgot."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm your boyfriend. I should've known." It felt so weird to say those words in front of our families.

"I know," Mat said. "I'm sorry. We haven't seen each other very much since we got together."

"I forgive you," I said, "but never do something like this again." I smiled and took his hand to show that I was joking.

We finished our breakfast and excused ourselves from the table. I led Mathew back up to my room. We sat down on my couch.

"So other than horse riding, what do you guys do for fun here?" Mathew asked.

"I like to walk around the city and look at things that people are selling," I said. "Or I'll go to the orphanage and hang out with the kids there." I suddenly had an idea. "I could introduce you to my best friend!"

"That might be fun," Mat said.

"Let's go," I said as I stood. "He's normally at home so..." I looked over at Mat. He was staring at me with a smile on his face.

"What?" I asked, suddenly self-conscious. 

"You're so cute," Mathew said quietly. He stood and gently cupped my cheek. He softly pressed his lips to mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck.

 _I love this. His lips are so soft,_ I thought. I couldn't wait until we could be a couple in front of the whole kingdom.

Mathew pulled away from me. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Cal," he whispered. "I... I love you."

My breath caught in my throat. "I... love you too, Mat." I pulled him back in for another kiss.

"I want to stay like this forever," I said. I rested my forehead against his.

Mathew laughed at me. "We should probably go to the city now, right?"

I laughed too. "Yeah, let's go." I opened the door and led us downstairs. I saw my mother talking to Queen Veronica. I walked over to them.

"Hello, Mother," I said. "We're going to the city. I'm going to introduce Mathew to Gabe."

"Are you going to tell him about your relationship?" Mother asked.

I hesitated. Mat looked at me. "I'm... not sure," I muttered. "I might, depending on if it feels like the right time."

Mother nodded. "It's completely up to you."

Queen Veronica rested her hand on my shoulder. "Stay safe. Don't do anything to expose your relationship," she told me. "You should come out in your own time, in your own way. I recommend not showing any affection to my son while you're visiting the city."

I smiled at her and bowed politely. "Of course. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

Mathew and I left the castle.


	18. Chapter 18

I knocked on Gabe's front door. His mother opened it and smiled when she saw me.

"Hello, Your Highness," Mrs. Ware said. "Are you here to see Gabriel?"

"I am," I responded. "Is he here? Can he come to hang out with us for a while?"

"Of course," Mrs. Ware said. "Gabriel!" she called into the house.

Moments later, Gabe was at the door. "Hey, man! What's up?"

Mrs. Ware gently hit her son's arm. "Manners, Gabriel."

Gabe opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it. "Hello... Your Highness." He cringed. "That's so weird, Mom. He's my friend, I don't have to do that."

"I don't care," Mrs. Ware said. "We have to be respectful to our Prince."

Gabe just looked at me and sighed. I laughed. I looked at Mathew. He was smiling a little.

"Come on, Gabe," I said. "Nice to see you again, Mrs. Ware." I turned and led my friends to the outdoor market.

"So... Prince Mathew," Gabe started, "no offense, but why are you here?"

"Prince Caleb and I have become friends over the past year. I'm really here to hang out with him," Mathew responded. "But my family thought it would be a good idea to come to Summervale to repair relations between our kingdoms after the war. Also, I wanted to celebrate my birthday tomorrow with my friend." He looked at me and smiled.

I smiled back. "Yeah, we're friends now," I told Gabe. "I hope it's okay that I brought Mat with me."

"Mat?" Gabe questioned.

 _Don't give anything away, you idiot._ "Yeah," I laughed. "We're friends, we have nicknames for each other. That's what friends do."

"I guess like how you call me Gabe," Gabe said.

Mathew nodded. "Exactly."

I tried to change the subject by looking at things the merchants were selling. I saw one that was selling crystals. I walked over to the stand.

"Hello, Your Highness," the merchant woman greeted me. "Are you interested in my crystals?"

"I'm mainly just looking, but what do you think I could use?" I asked.

She studied me for a moment. "You look a little stressed, Your Highness. Perhaps you could benefit from this lepidolite." She picked up a pinkish-purplish stone and showed it to me.

"What does it do?" I asked.

"It helps relieve stress and restores emotional balance," the merchant explained.

Mathew laughed beside me. "Yeah, you need that. You're stressed all the time."

I gently pushed him. He laughed some more before walking away to look at a different merchant's table. Gabe patted my shoulder then followed Mathew.

I stared after Mathew, a soft smile on my face. I heard the crystal lady chuckle. I looked back at her.

"I think I have something else for you," she said. She picked up a pink crystal. "This is rose quartz. It's for emotional healing, compassion, and..." the merchant looked to where Mathew was looking at knives at another table, "unconditional love."

I looked over at Mathew. "You think I-" I laughed awkwardly. "No, no. We're just friends."

The merchant shook her head. "I know love when I see it, Your Highness," she said gently. "Just take the crystal, free of charge."

"Isn't that taking money away from you?" I asked.

She waved her hand dismissively. "Plenty of people buy rose quartz. I'll make that money back in a few minutes." She took my hand and placed the stone in it. "I hope it helps you, Your Highness."

I looked at the crystal in my hand. "Thank you. I hope it helps too." I left the stand and rejoined Gabe and Mathew.

"What'd you get?" Mathew asked.

I showed him the crystal. "It's rose quartz."

"What does it do?" Gabe asked.

I hesitated. "She said it helps with emotional healing, compassion, and, um, self-love," I lied. If I told Gabe about the unconditional love part, he'd want to know why I chose it. I couldn't tell him the truth.

"That's cool," Gabe said. "You could use some of that."

I nodded. "Yeah, I could."

"Hey, look! Dogs!" Gabe said excitedly. He was pointing at several dogs tied up to a post with ropes. "I want one." He left us behind to go see the animals.

I looked at Mathew and chuckled. I followed Gabe to look at the dogs.

There were five dogs tied to the post. One was a German Shepard, one was a Dalmation, one was a beagle, and the other two were mixed breeds.

"I want this one," Gabe announced as he untied the beagle from the post.

"She'll be $500," the merchant said. His eyes grazed over me.

"$500?" Gabe exclaimed. He sighed and started pulling his wallet out of his pocket. I quickly grabbed his arm to stop him.

"I think we all know that dog isn't worth that much," I said. "She's already full-grown, so she's automatically worth less money." I paused. "I think you're over-charging just because I'm here," I said darkly.

The merchant stared at me. "I would never, Your Highness," he said.

"You know over-charging the Royal Family is illegal, right?" I asked him. "I could have you executed if we discovered you were charging too much."

The merchant's face went pale. "I guess I could charge $200 for her."

"That's better," I chuckled. Gabe and Mathew were staring at me. I motioned for Gabe to pay the merchant.

He quickly got the money out and handed it to the merchant. Gabe took his dog and we continued into the market.

"Your voice kind of changed back there," Mathew said.

I looked at him. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"It was different," Mat replied, "darker, I guess."

"Yeah," Gabe agreed. "It was a little creepy."

"Hmm... I don't know," I said. I was just as confused as they were. I had no idea what they were talking about.

I looked around at the other merchants' tables. I needed to get Mathew something for his birthday tomorrow. I noticed a table with a bunch of stuffed animals.

"Go on without me," I told Mat and Gabe. "I want to look at something."

They nodded and kept walking. I headed over to the merchant.

"Hello, Your Highness." The merchant bowed to me. "What are you interested in? All of these are handmade by me."

I glanced over the toys and spotted a small horse plushie. I picked it up and inspected it. It had whispy fur around its hooves. "Is this a Gypsy?" I asked. I remembered that Mat liked our Gypsy horse back at the stables.

"It is, Your Highness," the merchant said. "That one is $10 since it's one of my smaller ones."

"I'll take it," I said as I took out my money. I handed the bill over to the merchant.

"May I ask who the horse is for?" the merchant asked.

"It's for my friend," I told him. "His birthday is tomorrow."

"Would you like me to wrap it for you?"

I smiled at him. "That'd be great. Thank you."

The merchant wrapped the stuffed animal in brown paper. He handed it back to me. 

I took it and caught up with Mat and Gabe.

"What'd you get?" Mat asked me.

"It's a surprise," I replied, hiding the package from him.

He smiled knowingly at me. He looked down at a watch on his wrist.

 _Since when does he wear a watch?_ I wondered. 

"It's almost lunchtime," Mat said. "We should probably get back to the castle. I'm sure your parents would want us there for lunch."

"You're right," I said. I looked at Gabe. "What are you going to name your dog?" 

Gabe looked down at the door walking happily on the rope leash beside him. He smiled at her. "I think I'll name her Scout," he decided.

"I like that name," Mat said. I agreed with him.

We walked Gabe back to his house and then headed back to the castle.


End file.
